Where do your best ideas come from?

Have you ever had that EUREKA moment? You know, that moment when something awesome and amazing comes to you at the exact perfect time you needed it? Maybe it was a puzzle you were working in your head that finally came together. Or maybe it was a wild idea that came out of nowhere that energizes you so much. These lightbulb moments are fun and amazing and always so inspiring.

If you haven’t had one of these eureka moments in a while, don’t fret. Often times the biggest detriment to having a great idea is the level in which we’re distracted and busy. Because when we’re swimming in distractions, our brain doesn’t have the space or awareness to give us those really really good ideas.

Think about how everyone always says, “my best ideas come to me in the shower.” Well, consider why that is! Because, there’s no phones in the shower. There’s no people in the shower. There’s no email in the shower. There’s no work in the shower. There’s no studying in the shower. There’s literally nothing in the shower but you AND your thoughts. And that space is enough to let lots of the really good stuff come bubbling up.

And you NEED your ideas. You need your own energy to be solving the creative, the exciting, and next step puzzles of your life. What’s important to remember, however, is that even though eureka moments are wonderful, most great ideas happen over time. They’re like little nudges that keep getting better and better and better provided you create space in your life FOR ideas. In his book “Where Good Ideas Come From” Steven Johnson says that really big breakthroughs are actually just hunches that come more and more into view and they bloom over time. He also says that most great ideas require other people, that they’re not meant to come into focus along. He explains that most highly creative people actually have very expansive social connections that lead to the gathering of ideas from all kinds of different contexts.

So, if you want to have better ideas, get some space in order to find them, let them evolve over time, and don’t isolate yourself permanently because social connections will enhance your creativity.

Whether you know where your good ideas come from or not, start making mental notes of when and where you’re the most inspired. You can open up a note in your phone and jot down each time you have a good idea and what was going on when it came to you. And hey, don’t forget, that the key to a great idea is always action action action. DO something about your next idea.