Some days you just open the laptop and stare at it. You catch up on your blog subscriptions, reading the great thoughts of others, and you check email, Twitter, and a few other spots. Then you pull up your blog and get ready to write. But... there's nothing. Nothing comes out. Inspiration is nowhere to be found. Today, you can't even write a blog post to talk about how great someone else's blog post is. You stare into the air, and then... it hits you!
You grab your notebook, flip back a couple of pages, and find a couple of sentences you wrote the other day while you were sitting in a coffee shop. Inspiration starts to flow again, and you find yourself excited to write today's post.
I read a few weeks back that many very successful people (and I think Warren Buffett was the prime example) carry a notebook with them wherever they go. Random thoughts strike at random times, and these very successful people write them down, in that notebook that goes everywhere with them. We've all had them - brilliant flashes of light while in the shower, or in an elevator, or while driving down the road. (Note, I do not advocate writing while driving! Pull over!) We are certain we'll remember these brilliant flashes when we get back to our desks. And, once we land, all we remember is that we had something, but can't remember what it was.
So, I now keep a notebook. It goes everywhere with me. It is sitting beside me right now. It has notes, ideas, and to-do items in it. It is gray on the outside but light-filled within. It reminds me that a great idea is only great if it is captured and shared. It illuminates earlier inspiration when today's inspiration is hiding.
Whether it's an actual notebook, a smartphone note-taker, a mini-recorder, or some other means, capturing inspiration when it occurs can help you through slow spots and keep you on your goals. How do you capture your random thoughts?
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