Imagine that it’s a day like any other day. You’re just sitting there (I won’t mention where) and Eureka! you get a one-in-a-lifetime idea. I mean a really big idea. You know it’s special because you can feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Maybe it’s for a new business, or an invention or even a book.
At this stage that big idea of yours is compressed into a single pin-prick of inspiration. Contained in that infinite speck, your wonderfully complex idea sits in its own potentiality, just waiting. But it’s still only a thought—a potential of a thing. It’s literally and metaphorically a seed. It will need to grow beyond that seed and any seed needs three things to grow:
1. Energy
2. Space
3. Time
Without this magical trio the seed could lie dormant forever—never realizing its potential. If it sits long enough it may even die.
Now we all know how to grow a seed. Put it in the ground, give it water and sunlight and wait awhile. The key is that it must be nurtured. That big idea of yours is no different.
But how do we nurture inspiration? We can’t just dump some dirt on it, water it and presto—instant dream! Or can we?
Interestingly, the same basic rules apply between any regular old seed (like a pumpkin or maybe an apple seed) and a seed of inspiration. Both need energy, space and time.
How do we give an idea energy?
Answer: By focusing on it; by giving it undivided attention. The more focus put on the idea, the more it will grow. Focus and attention are the fuel to any thought form.
How do we give an idea space?
Answer: By realizing its unlimited potential. Never allow your big idea to become restricted by fear and doubt or by what other people think is possible for it. Your idea’s natural state is one of expansion. It wants to grow. Keep in mind that everything ever created first started out as a thought. Your big idea exists in that wonderful quantum realm where anything is possible. All you have to do is get everything else out of its way.
How do we give an idea time?
Answer: By not rushing it. Understand that every journey begins with a single step. Buddha said: “The jug fills drop by drop”. And the 64th verse of the Tao reminds us that the giant pine tree grows from a tiny seed. Christian tradition speaks of how there is a season for everything. Things happen on their own schedules. Ideas must unfold naturally. If you wish to build an amazing tower, you will need to give it the space to climb, one floor at a time. Nor would you would ever build the tenth floor, before the ninth.
At some point you will have to unleash that big dream into the world. Release is one of the most important ways you can give your idea space. Ever heard the expression: Let go and let God? Feed your idea, focus on it, and then let it go. Imagine what would happen if you dug up your pumpkin seed every few hours to see if it was growing? It would die under the weight of all the attention. There is another wonderful bit of advice from the Tao: The Master allows things to happen. She shapes events as they come. She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself.
When inspiration strikes, it does so for a reason. An idea wants to see form—through you, but it can only do that if you nurture it and if you care for it. Then let it go so it can grow naturally into what it was always meant to be. If you like this or any of my other posts, please leave a comment. I would love hearing your views.Thanks for visiting.