DTOP #47: Inviting Inspiration To Fuel Productivity

Hello, we are back. Welcome, beloveds, to another episode of Doing Things On Purpose, the podcast that empowers women to take charge of their time, health, relationships, and money by doing things on purpose.

I am your host, Suri Stahel, and this is episode 47. You know, I’ve been wondering about that tagline if it’s still relevant actually to this podcast, but we’re just gonna roll with it for now.

I am at the beginning of school season again, and it’s been a bit rough in terms of scheduling and getting things ready for the kids. So I am just happy that I have landed here, and I am grateful that you’re joining me.

Because in this episode, I would love to talk about the idea of inspiration, versus productivity, or how those two can work together.

Mom or self-care check-in

But before we dive in, let’s get to the mom check-in, or perhaps it’s a self-care check-in for moms and non-moms.

Exploring oracle cards – a source of support

I have been exploring a new oracle card. It is called the Mystical Shaman Pocket Oracle Deck. And if you’re watching this on YouTube, I’m just showing how that looks like.

And the card that I have pulled for today is called The Beauty Way. And it showed up upside down. So this is how it looks like.

There’s a lotus and a dragonfly. It’s a beautiful illustration. And so when the card shows up upside down, then I’m supposed to read the medicine of it.

So to start, the essence of the card:

The Beauty Way is both a path that you travel on and a daily practice. The path is where you choose to perceive only beauty before you, behind you and all around you, as you journey through life.

The practice is where you take action to bring beauty to every situation you are in. When things get ugly, you act to bring integrity and peace to the difficult encounter.

When everyone else perceives only darkness, you point out the light and help uncover the hidden treasures.

And the medicine of this card is:

Stop trying to fix relationships that you believe are broken. Recognize that things are exactly as they need to be in this moment and acknowledge the inherent beauty in that. When you understand this, you will be able to bring about the change you want.

Do not engage in gossip about the darkness and flaws of others. Be careful not to be seduced by the superficial beauty of a project or relationship you are toying with, unless you are willing to pay a price for it later. What a beautiful card.

So I have been pulling a card for myself every day to just inspire whatever it is I’m doing for that day, or requesting some kind of guidance or support from whatever it is – the unseen.

And the way that I love pulling my card is, I would just shuffle the cards and request that one of the cards fall out. That’s just how I have been doing it intuitively in the past. And I love how it always gives me the perfect card that I need for that day.

And if you are a friend of mine who I have just been communicating with recently, you will know that this card really resonates with the conversation that we just had.

So I just love these synchronicities. And that’s one way I invite you to explore self-care for yourself.

If you’ve tried all of the things like movement, breathing, meditation, yoga, walking, exercise, whatever it is, another dimension you could try exploring is mysticism, spirituality.

It’s this magic, you know, when we used to believe in unicorns and angels. And, you know, I know some people still do.

• So is there some truth there?
• Can we hold curiosity in that?
• Can we explore some ways to get us inspired again about life?

…To remind us of the beautiful lessons that lie waiting for us.

So enough of that. My topic for today again is about:

Inviting inspiration to fuel our productivity

Because you know, if you’re a busy mom or you’re a woman who’s working, we can get into the pressure of showing up regularly for something, especially if you’re a business owner like me.

We want to be showing up at a certain time with a certain content that has value and consistency.

And that’s the kind of logical way that we have been taught or conditioned to approach things, so that people have that trust, that stability that we build around our quote unquote brand.

So our modern day brains love to hook into this way of comparing our success or our productivity. And we also use it to compare ourselves with other people.

And there is truth, there is value to that, because obviously it feels comforting to buy from or engage in services from people who consistently show up, because we know they have that groundedness or capacity that we can lean into, that they will be there. They’re not just going to disappear into the ether because something’s too much, or they’re not able to handle their time.

And we also know through human behavioral studies and our own observations that, yes, it’s true, the more we do something consistently, the better we get at it, that muscle grows.

So there’s some statistics, for instance, that says, it takes 10,000 hours to gain mastery in any skill.

And that’s a number that we can work with as a goal, right?

Because it’s something very concrete and we can track that in our own lives, like, how many, for me, how many coaching hours have I done?

It’s a benchmark that you can aim for to know that, let me just aim for this number and then I’ll slowly, over time, get good at it.

But I also want to layer all of this logic, which is a tendency I have, I’m a very analytical, logical person – with the other side, the softer side of us as humans. Because I don’t think we thrive when we do things so consistently, robotically in this disciplined way all the time.

• I mean, we can recognize that this is a skill that is nice to have, just like intellectual skills that we can cultivate.
• At the same time, there are things that make our work and our life feel like it’s worth living, worth doing.

We want to feel like the things that we are developing and spending our time on are exciting. And that maybe we’re even led by something bigger than us.

And so how do we lean into that side of engaging with this idea of productivity?

Know the logic behind consistency AND notice the energy behind things too

I think it’s something to do with noticing the energy that flows into something. So when we get excited about an idea that we almost can’t wait to share it, we end up maybe talking about it to a friend.

And for me, myself – I end up talking to myself about it when I’m changing clothes or I’m on the potty (actually, that’s a place where I tend to talk to myself).

For some other people, they might write a blog post or craft an ebook or write an article or record a podcast. So there is almost a palpable excitement that just comes up when we notice something or when just an idea comes to our heads.

And then it’s up to us whether we notice it enough to write it down or to capture that idea in its imperfect form. And of course, knowing that our ideas might not be the most original.

It probably came from somewhere, but it’s been processing in our brain and somehow it’s at one point ready to come out. And then also knowing it’s imperfect because it’s just a screenshot of our awareness at the time. Right?

So over time, once we create that output or that piece of work, piece of writing or that conversation, we know that next week or next month, as we learn more or as we become more aware, our ideas can change, our opinions can change.

And we have to be able to be at peace with that. That the idea was perfect in the moment. 

So this noticing when input comes and the allowing that it is allowed to evolve over time, we can go through this cycle again and again:

1. Noticing
2. Capturing …and then
3. Producing the output to bring it out into the world.

This is how I see productivity playing out. And sometimes it means waiting for inspiration.

So, an idea can marinate in our head, or maybe if you believe in divine guidance or inspiration, you might think that something will download into you. And it’s your job then to just stay open to it and to capture it when it comes.

Then instead of thinking, “Oh, it’s too hard,” or “Oh, I don’t have time right now.” Of course, we can also say that – but when can we regularly stay open?

When (and how) can we cultivate practices that allow us to be attuned to the ideas that are wanting to come through?

So I think this is an interesting way to cultivate that muscle, that noticing of this excitement energy that wants to be expressed. And it’s also a less stressful or fear-based way to come up with ideas.

Instead of looking at what other people are doing and comparing ourselves with that – we just trust that we are also a pure source.

And this noticing, curiosity, and following that energetic pull, can be our superpower to productivity – to output.

Try something new: increase or mix up your inputs

So like the Oracle cards: I realized that I’m just interested in it. I was curious about it.

I don’t know if there’s anything to it. But there’s something there that excites me…

So why don’t I go down that route? Why don’t I buy a deck? Why don’t I pick a card? Why don’t I see what happens?

I think this experimentation is the kind of action that can then result in new thoughts, new ways of processing things, just because we are having new inputs in our lives.

Tune inwards: Nurture and deepen your connection to body-based sensations

And another thing that I would invite you to explore a bit more that has been a new thing for me is to ground into my body even more.

So whether it’s through my yoga practice or my meditation, or even listening to music and dancing or singing and kind of really feeling into the sensations that show up in my body.

So whether something feels like it’s tight or whether something feels like it’s achy, something feels stuck or something needs to be stretched. 

And by noticing those things and using my body as a tool, through movement or dancing – I start to notice those sensations when I’m doing other things.

So let’s say when I’m having a call, or when I am attending circle – I notice when my chest gets tight, or my tummy is having a funny feeling. When something doesn’t resonate.

So by practicing tuning in to the sensations of the body, we can learn to listen when the body is giving us signals.

And those signals can guide us: when we are trying to play with an idea or trying to push something to be produced. Whether that’s right for us or wrong for us.

We can use our body as a tool to attune to that energy: Is that something that feels right or not?

Building a relationship takes time

And I have to say that this has changed for me. Because in the past, I didn’t know what subtle body sensations were, and I’m sure I’m still developing them.

But over time, now I can say that they are one of my bigger signals. So I have less thoughts running through my head. I’m just trusting how my body feels, what my subtle sensations are telling me.

Notice how ideas come to you

So how can we, going back to the idea of harnessing inspiration, for creativity to come through, for us to be productive – notice how ideas come to us, is a third thing that I would invite you to pay attention to.

As I said, for me, ideas tend to come just when I’m doing something else, if I’m changing clothes, as I mentioned, I’m on the potty, and then I would just start talking to myself about something. And I have started to notice that.

Find a way to capture sparks

So I have this little notebook where I write down the ideas that come through. Sometimes if I have my phone handy, I will record a voice recording of that or a transcript of that. And these are small ways that I’m trying to capture inspiration.

Review and create something to express that energy

And then, of course, it needs also discipline to then take time to look through those notes, to re-listen to those voice notes and see is there something there? Is this seeding a project or an offering? 

And I am still learning…

It’s just a process that I have found to be very interesting to work with, instead of feeling stressed when I don’t produce in the traditional, consistent sense. 

So notice how inspiration speaks to you and find out the ways that work for you to capture those sparks.

And yes, this is definitely a messier, slower, but I think more natural way as well to work with and nurture creativity, which is rooted in inspiration, in the energy behind the idea – compared to the need to just produce for production’s sake.

The invitation

Start by cultivating self-awareness

And so my invitation to you to begin would probably be around thinking about simple doable practices that you can learn or keep doing that can directly nurture your self-awareness.

Self-awareness to your emotions, your body sensations, your sensitivity to your vessel, your being, your body, and the energies or whatever else that might be around you.

And some ways you can do that could be:

• Quiet time
• The spaciousness of meditation
• Forest walks
• Swimming in bodies of water or floating
• Breath work.
• Dancing
• Humming
• Singing
• Tapping into oracle cards

Anything that makes you curious and learn more about yourself, I think helps to nurture that sensitivity that we’re looking for – to start to notice when things drop in.

And not everything will feel right for you. It doesn’t mean that it was a waste of time for you to try those things. You just know that, “I’m not into breath work” or “I’m not into walks or yoga.”

And that’s fine.

It is about finding the thing that speaks to you.

And then again, questioning the idea of how consistent must my ideas come, or must I produce.

For me, consistency can be used very loosely. Because I think rigid consistency is a very capitalistic notion, when your worth is tied to how much you produce.

Lean into the cyclical nature of things

What’s more natural is our cyclical nature, right? The ebbs and flows of things.

There’s winter season, and there’s summer season when we’re producing. And so our inspiration should also be allowed to ebb and flow. And we can learn to be okay with that and trust and honor it.

Because I think we often forget that we ARE nature. We think of nature (on one side), we think of our very automated, modern, more artificial lifestyle (on the other side).

We forget that we are natural beings. We are PART of nature. We are an EXPRESSION of nature.

And we don’t see patterns of ever-bloom or ever-production in anything in nature.

They have cycles, and that’s natural.

Okay, enough rambling. I hope this episode can inspire you to create with more joy, to partner with inspiration, and to follow the excitement of an idea or a curiosity.

And if it has, please follow, subscribe, like, rate, share it with a friend. It really helps.

Need support? Work with me as your coach 

Bi-weekly live calls, or NEW voice-only support available upon request.

And if you would love to be supported by me personally, I have coaching spaces available for one-on-one clients, whether they are through bi-weekly Zoom calls, or if you are short of time, which many women, many moms are, contact me if you are interested in having voxer or voicenote-based support instead. 

Just go to suristahel.com/offerings to check that out. I’d love to hear from you. 

Let’s connect!

And as always, the show notes of this episode can be found at suristahel.com/47 for this episode 47.

And please feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube. 

I wish you a wonderful season of playing with inspiration, of playing with creation, playing with productivity and how all of those things look and feel like for you. And I will catch you in the next episode. Bye!