Most writers find inspiration in their own experiences. But opening yourself up to a great idea isn’t easy for any of us. We’re trained to focus on the task in front of us: evil day job, homework, reading a book, cooking. That focus is a construct, and it keeps our minds from wandering so we get the task done. The problem? If you’re looking for inspiration, the hyper focus of daily life saps creativity and blinds us to inspiration.

Everyone needs inspiration. We crave it. We need purpose and direction and… something more. Spirituality? Love? Happiness? All of these things help inspire humans to live, create, and thrive. For a writer, these tools open a door onto creativity. They are tools that allow us to step back and see possibilities in the every day.

Lots of philosophy, but the concept is simple: if you stop insulating yourself, the world around you is inspiring.

Real life example? My commute isn’t long, but it starts with a harrowing drive from the 5^th floor of a parking deck against incoming traffic, then through the city, and into another parking lot. Someone takes a corner in the parking deck really wide and I come within a few inches of touching their front bumper. I get pissed. Swear and say something about people needing to be more considerate and fucking SLOW DOWN. Then I head onto the street, someone cuts me off, I get stuck behind a bus, and I’m tapping the steering wheel and my gut clenches. I pull into the parking lot at the office and the person in front of me is slowly—VERY SLOWLY—backing into a spot. I wait and grumble. I finally park. By the time I’m walking into my office, I’m grumpy and ready for another cup of coffee.

Reverse, then repeat. Five days a week. 50 some-odd weeks a year.

Okay. We all do this, right? It’s typical. Here’s the problem—I missed a ton of things because I was so focused on my frustration with other drivers.

Rewind.

Walking to my car, the sunrise out the side of the parking deck was spectacular. Red, orange, yellow streaks across the sky. Black turns to aqua and then blue. Clouds dot the horizon. The breeze is cool. I can hear birds (I guess some have made nests in the deck) chirping.

Driving out of the deck, I’m listening to Rachmaninoff’s 2^nd Symphony. The speakers in my car make me feel like I’m in the middle of the orchestra. I take a deep breath and imagine I’m on our boat, sailing. Sun meets water, and the music swirls like the wind.

On the street, I see someone walking to their office. They smile as they talk to someone on their phone. A woman crosses the street in front of me wearing flats, carrying killer stilettos in her hand. Maybe she has a date tonight. Maybe she’s got a big interview, or she’s speaking at the legislature today. A couple of guys zip by on scooters, pointing at a coffee shop. I pass someone turning. Their license plate says, “Sailing.”

At my office, I watch the trees sway in the breeze as someone takes time backing into a parking spot. The crepe myrtles will be blooming soon, and the Bradford pears are a riot of white. Bits of fluff fly through the air, like snow dancing around in circles in a flurry. I park and get out of my car and I smell something sweet—some flowering plant, although I can’t locate it. The sky is a bright blue now with little wisps of clouds.

Same commute. Different mindset. I’m not stuck in the “I’ve got to get to the office” mode. I’m open and willing.

The example is simple, but you get the idea. We limit ourselves and our creativity by blocking out the inspiration. Whether it’s something we have control over or not, we create the walls that keep us from seeing the possibilities. The scene I describe above? I could write about the feel of the wind on my face and the scent of the flowers. Sure, it’s not a plot, but it adds color and depth to a story. Maybe the two men on the scooters are a couple. Maybe they just met. Maybe… Inspiration fills in the blanks. Fill in enough blanks and you have the jumping off point for a novel.

You don’t have to be a writer or artist to benefit from opening the door to inspiration. But when you let go of the hyper focus of the day to day grind, even if it’s only for a few minutes, you may just find something wonderful and new.