13 Things to do when you're feeling uninspired

a little list of inspo that I like to keep in my back pocket

Feeling uninspired is like walking through fog. It’s not necessarily painful, but everything feels dull and muted. It feels like you’re disconnected from the light that shows the way, and the fire that usually fuels the spark within.

It’s scrolling endlessly, hoping something will bring you back to life, but nothing does. It’s staring at a blank page, a blinking cursor, an untouched to-do list, and feeling completely indifferent and unexcited to do anything with any of it. It’s wanting to create, but every idea feels tired, every effort feels pointless, and everything just feels… meh.

I believe that, although frustrating, the moments where we feel our souls flatline are opportunities to open the curtain wider to a deeper and brighter human experience.

I believe that it’s in those moments that our souls ask for more.

I’m going to share my 13 little inspiration hacks that help my creative wheels spin and keep me moving forward in life with aliveness and curiosity for more.

I hope you find even one that inspires you to explore today more deeply.

Read one of these 3 types of books

There have been many times in my life where I have lacked inspiration and found it in a book, but depending on the season, the type of book has always varied.

Fiction books work well when I feel bored in my life - because there are many flavors to the uninspired. They work well when I feel cramped and feel the need to stretch my legs into other worlds. When I’m over the mundane and want to think about fairies and monsters and royal love affairs and spells and crazy wild plot lines, fiction is where I turn; it always finds a way to add a bit of magic into my day-to-day.

Non fiction books, specifically personal development and spirituality genres, are for when I feel the need to go inward and flip back on a switch that’s been turned off. When I know there’s something asleep inside of me that needs to get woken the fuck up, I open up a motivating self-help to bring me back to life.

Biographies are for when I feel the need to see how life has been done before. Perhaps most when I feel stuck within the confines of what I perceive to be possible.

Sometimes when I just don’t know what next step to take.

Learning from those who have walked a similar path somehow always inspires me to follow.

Listen to any podcast

Podcasts only work for me when paired with a long walk in a beautiful setting - like a park or by the water - or when sat at an outdoor cafe, people watching and sipping on something perfect.

I need to be able to zone out. When I zone out, my mind feels free to swirl around new concepts and ideas.

Watch a movie or take myself to the cinema

I don’t remember when I started, but I started young. Going to the movies by myself has always felt like an absolute treat. I get to see what I want without compromise, order my little snacks, and find the seat far back enough to where my necks not twisted, but close enough that I feel like I’m part of the story.

I get lost in movies. I fall so deeply in love with the characters and the storylines and the entirety of the cinematic experience. Sometimes the movies align with a plot line in my own life, or I see bits of me in one - or many - of the characters. Other times, it may have nothing to do with me at all, but might inspire curiosity into the unknown.

A good movie has me leaving the movie theater often questioning: What else is out there? and how can I experience it?

Go see a live performance

Never have I ever been as moved as when watching a live performance, especially a musical. Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Opera, HAIR… I mean, something comes alive in me.

I cry, I laugh, I dance, and I’m suddenly reminded of how much can come together to create art. How so many visions combine to make a masterpiece.

Live performances activate the performer inside of me. The creative. The artist. The theatrical. The part of me that wants to run through the streets and sing… The part of me that is often the first to dim when I let the world of responsibility take over.

Something always comes alive with theater, and I can always trust it to remind me of the work of art that my life could be.

Visit a museum, or browse a bookstore

Art used to confuse me - and in many ways, it still does. I think that’s the beauty of it, though. You’re not always supposed to get it, and that needs to be ok.

One of my favorite things to do is go to a museum and sit in front of a piece of art. I’ll examine it and wonder what it’s trying to say. Then, my mind will wander to the artist and what he was doing, thinking, and feeling at the time.

And suddenly, before I know it, a whole world unfolds in front of me and I am inspired to question the many layers of the human experience, not just as a creator but as an observer.

Anytime I can ask myself questions, I’m naturally inspired to seek the answers. Or at the very least, I’m willing to leave them open-ended.

I included bookstore in this because walking through bookstores has a similar effect on me. I love looking at the artistry of each book cover and exploring the differences in various sections. Who wrote what and why? And what did you intend for me to feel consuming your art?

Questions and answers and the stillness in-between is what inspires me most.

Have a conversation with friends

I hope you have the kind of friends you can sit with for hours questioning the meaning of life.

I’ve gone through seasons, of course.

There was a period of my life, filled with late nights and cocaine, where I sat on rooftops and had some of the best, most thought provoking conversations with friends (or strangers from that night, who, with a little help from the drugs, felt like life long friends too).

There have also been periods with very close friends and periods without, most of which were replaced with high level conversations with long term clients that I very much loved getting into the deep with.

Regardless the season, conversations with friends have always inspired me in some way. Sometimes by their mere reflections of me, reminding me of things I had long forgotten. Other times, them sharing their own life experiences and how fucking exciting it would be for me to try the same.

I wish everyone to have these kinds of friendships. They are perhaps the most inspiring.

Have a conversation with strangers

I feel very lucky to have worked in the bar and restaurant industry for so long, mainly because of all the strangers I got to meet along the way.

But even now, galavanting around the world, I make it a point to get to know people I’ve never known because they all have stories I have never heard.

Some of the most powerful, most expansive moments of my life have had as a catalyst a conversation with a stranger.

Sit at the bar next time you go eat out alone and you’ll find the most interesting of stories sitting right beside you.

Have a conversation with someone I admire

Some of the greatest moments of inspiration, be it for content or life direction, have come directly from conversations with people whom I admire. If I’m lucky to cross paths with them socially and casually, I always make the effort to explore a deeper dialogue. If, however, I feel a bit more isolated from the world, I will find someone who inspires me and, usually, pay to book an hour long session with them. Of course, there are many people we admire who would gladly share their time freely, but I have found I really enjoy the opportunity to express how much I value their experiences - and this often leads to really deeply profound conversations.

So much so that I leave feeling like I have an entirely new perspective on the world from a single conversation.

Have a conversation with someone I question (or perhaps, don’t agree with)

I learned long ago that in most cases, there is beauty in the way we all see the world so differently. Often times, when I feel bored or uninspired, it’s because my perception of reality or my current belief system hasn’t been challenged in a while. So, in the right setting, and with someone open to a mature exchange, I really enjoy listening to the life experience of someone with a different perspective in life. Curiosity inspires me.

Note: There is a difference between an intellectual exchange and a couple of hot heads going at it in the comment section. I am definitely not referring to the latter. I would literally never refer to the latter.

I experience what I know I love

One of my favorite things to do when I feel bleh about life is to put myself in situations where I can relax, my mind can expand, and I can channel the next great thing.

This can be accomplished both by getting a massage at my favorite Four Seasons Spa, as well as taking a long beautiful walk in the park while listening to classical music.

The moment I relax, ideas start coming through and I suddenly feel that spark for life again.

For many, many years of my life, this meant driving my convertible around for hours on end, letting my mind wander.

I try something I’ve never done before

This can be as simple as attending my first live poetry reading, to something as daring as zip lining or even (one day) skydiving. To me, there’s a thrill to activating a part of myself that has never been activated before.

It could be a new emotion unlocked, like walking into the biggest cathedral I’d ever seen for the very first time, or just bearing witness to (or participating in) some part of the human experience that feels brand new.

Something inside me awakens.

Pay attention. There is a life to be lived, and that is the most inspiring thing of all.

Doing things that scare me

To be fair, I try to do this - to some degree - every day. While stretching myself by way of courage, I am not only introduced to new versions of me, but also, to brand new environments and relationships - all of which flood me with an appreciation for life and a curiosity for more.

I very much believe that if we fill our lives up with things that excite us, we will forever be inspired to experience them.

Things that make me question everything I believe

This, I feel, is more all-encompassing of all the other items on the list. Anytime I question what I believe, I am inspired to explore, and that can come by way of a conversation (friend a friend, a stranger, or even an opponent) or by an experience that cracks me open to a new self. It can come from stories, fact or fiction, written in words or on stage or through a screen.

I often feel that when my life feels dull, it’s because I’m much too safe in the comforts I’ve created for myself.

So how could I be inspired for more?

Whatever it is, I believe it is my responsibility to be inspired. The moment my life feels like it’s flatlining, soul is calling out for more.

Has any of this worked for you? And is there something you do that you feel would make this an even greater list?

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