Dream Storm: Finding Your Inspirational Space
Dream big, follow your passion, do what you love … these are all things we’ve told people in the past when they ask us for advice on starting a business. In fact, these are often things that life coaches and motivational speakers will tell you too. However we have decided that these answers are no longer good enough. Instead, we want to truly inspire each and every single person we meet to live a more AMAZING life.
To start, we hope to be able to help you dream big BIG dreams. Dreams that can change your life. Dreams that seem impossible at first, but with a little dedication and effort, dreams that will come true. For the next three Thursday posts on our blog we are going to be discussing one of our favorite ways to dream big. It is what we call a “Dream Storm.” It’s kind of like a brainstorm, only much much more amazing. In this three part series we will discuss the following things we do to help us have a successful Dream Storm:
1. Finding your inspirational space
2. A storm of big ideas
3. Dreams = Reality, taking the first step
Finding your inspirational space
BIG Dreams, Dreams that can rock your world, don’t just begin flowing from your brain to pen to paper to reality. Instead, you need to set the stage. Dreaming is an entire mind and body experience. Before you can begin, you must find your inspirational space. A space in which you feel safe to dream big. A space that screams you. A space that allows your mind to wander endlessly. It’s more than a room, it’s an environment. It’s the sounds and the smells. It’s how the space makes you feel when you are there. Finding a space that inspires you will allow you to truly Dream Big.
So how do you find your inspirational space? It’s not always easy, but there are a few things you can do that will make finding your space easier. First, create a checklist for your space, or what I like to call my “space criteria.”
Develop your space criteria:
Do you prefer calm spaces or loud and energetic spaces?
Do you prefer being around lots of people or by yourself?
When you really need to get work done, where do you normally go?
Do you think better while listening to music or in silence?
Do you prefer to capture your thoughts on pen and paper or on a laptop/iPad?
Do you like to be outside or inside?
Do you work better in the morning, afternoon, or in the evening?
Do you prefer sitting on a couch or at a table?
After you have answered these questions take a moment to look back over your space criteria and remember your space is your own. This isn’t an all encompassing list so feel free to write out as many different criteria for your space as you wish.
Spaces that fit you:
Next, think about spaces that satisfy the criteria on your list. If you prefer being by yourself in calm spaces, than a coffee shop is not the space for you. In this case, your inspirational space might be a simple corner nook in your home. If you like energetic spaces, then trying to dream big in a dark basement office might not be the space for you either.
For me, I love energy, being around lots of people, the smell of coffee, bright rooms, music, using our laptop and iPad, and sitting at a table. When I want to Dream Big I try to find a space that maximizes as many of these things as possible. Usually, I’ll end up at the Starbucks around the corner, or over at Spoons if I am feeling a little hungry, or up at the rustic chic Artifact Coffee. Spaces like these feed my soul. I love looking around and seeing so many different people in one space. Soaking in the buzz and excitement of a full coffee shop really sparks my creative energy. It’s amazing to think that the person at the next table could be working on something HUGE that may change the world. It inspires me to try and change the world too!
Once you have thought of a few spaces that match your space criteria, take a few of the different spaces for a test drive. When you bought a car or a home, you probably didn’t settle for the first one you looked at. Your inspirational space should be no different. Finding the perfect inspirational space will allow you to dream big dreams that can change your life.
Time for the test drive:
Create a list of 3 simple tasks. The tasks should be easy enough that you can complete each one in 30 minutes or less. An example could be responding to 10 emails or writing in a journal. Once you have a list of 3 tasks, using your answers to the questions above, think of three different spaces that fit most of your space criteria. Go to each space and complete one of the tasks on your list. Once your task is complete, take a moment to write out or think about how you felt in the space while completing the task. Was it hard to focus? Did you zip right through the task? Were you inspired to continue working?
Rinse and repeat … After testing out your three spaces your inspirational space should begin to stand out. Feel free to refine your criteria and try out as many spaces as you wish in the next week.
Once you find your inspirational space, leave us a comment below, we’d love to hear about it. And if this post was helpful, let us know, we always love feedback on how we can improve our blog! Don’t forget to check out Part II :A Storm of Big Ideas on our blog next Thursday!