Yesterday, my hometown got 18 inches of snow.
All at once.
And when I looked out the window—all I saw was work.
But, when I looked out the window later that day, I saw a boy across the street jumping and playing in it.
And I didn’t see work anymore.
I saw magic.
If your ability to create (or do) is dependent on your need for inspiration, you’ll never fulfill your potential—especially not in today’s world.
Here’s why: distraction is the enemy of inspiration.
And if I had to pick just one word to describe the modern age we’re living in, I’d probably choose: “Distracted.”
Prior to the information explosion that came with the internet, modern gadgets, and social media—”waiting around” for inspiration was actually probably a great strategy.
Because here’s what I know about inspiration: it comes when I’m undistracted. It’s when I’m showering, staring at blank screens, meditating, walking my dog, driving, and/or sitting bored.
And “waiting around” prior to the information age probably consisted mostly of the things on that list. Today, however, “waiting around” consists mostly of… consuming distractions.
It never ceases to amaze me how quick I am to pull out my phone when I sit down in a public place alone—like when I’m waiting for my dinner party to arrive or when I’m waiting at the doctor’s office. The urge is almost unbearable.
And not just for me, but for the other phone-scrollers in the room. Or so it feels.
We’re addicted.
And because we’re addicted to distraction, we’re equally in conflict with inspiration.
This isn’t to say that we won’t get inspiration from the ocean of information that we consume—because we certainly may.
It is to say, however, that it isn’t being properly utilized. We need to do a better job of coming out of the ocean to regroup, reorganize, and reflect upon our findings.
Otherwise, we’ll continue flapping around, following treasure signs, and getting more and more lost at sea.
Here’s my biggest lesson from 2021.
#1: Shorter doesn’t mean less than
In 2020, I started writing daily.
Being the first time I was experimenting with the identity of “writer,” I felt an overbearing need to prove myself.
So, I tried to make up for a lack of experience with a length in writing—and my pieces were loooooong. Much longer than they needed to be and much longer than any audience would want to read daily.
In 2021, with my transition to Twitter, I learned how to be concise.
I learned how to take out fluff, be more direct, be more authentic, be more confident, and how to pack a punch with words.
I learned how shorter reduced the barriers for readers and actually opened more doors rather than closed them.
And it’s through this lesson that this very blog was birthed. With a cap of 280 words, punchy has become my focus.
#2: Inner Travel > Outer Travel
Without even realizing it, most people use outer travel as a means to force inner travel.
But, when you learn how to conduct inner travel on a regular basis, you are no longer limited to expensive flights, convenient timing, and dog-sitter availability.
Traveling, suddenly, becomes free, accessible, and easily timed.
Because ultimately, what we’re after isn’t big mountains, but an experience of awe; not deep oceans, but an experience of vastness; not sunny and seventy beaches, but relaxation; not exotic destinations, but rich experiences.
It’s feelings that we’re after—not places.
And with access to the internet, books, communities, and distraction-free spaces—we can learn how to bring forth those feelings on our own—no forcing required.
Control your information feeds to control your future.
What goes in is what will, eventually, come back out. And what comes out is what will determine how your future plays out.
Because we can’t control what happens to us, but we can absolutely control what comes out of us when things do happen. And if we want things to come out that are going to keep us moving forward, then we need to take the time required now to fill our minds with the best forward-moving information we can collect.
Not only does this mean less passive entertainment, news, and mind-numbing tasks (and more books, podcasts, and art)—it means curating your media feeds and training social media sites to only show you high-quality information.
One of the most important actions I took in 2021 that helped me significantly improve my future (my today) was shifting focus from Instagram to Twitter.
Instagram became a toxic place for me that was filled with images and videos of people in picture-perfect shape, living unbelievable lifestyles, and flaunting things that my ego craved.
It became a platform on which I would compare myself to everybody else—which is the root of all unhappiness. Twitter was like a breath of fresh air.
With its mind-first focus, it was like I was able to connect directly with people’s thoughts and our brains were able to vibe before we ever caught a glimpse of each other’s highlight reels.
My bottom line biggest takeaway is this: remove any and all comparison triggers; control your information feeds; immerse your mind in an ocean of insight—and watch as your future becomes yours.
Feel like you’ve reached a ceiling?
Rather than trying to push upwards, try digging downwards.
For the height of your ceiling is directly dependent on the depth of your foundation.