Every entrepreneur has traits that set them apart from others, such as risk-seeking, hard working, and extremely independent. However, it’s our ability to see the world differently from others and our creative problem solving skills that make them successful. Unfortunately, sometimes we run out of great ideas and it seems like the idea was just at the tip of your tongue and you just can’t spit it out. It’s almost like the more we try to remember what our vision was the more you loose it. One reason you may not be able to release your creative genius is the fact that your mind is all over the place. You have to create balance in order to make sure your mind is functioning properly. Remember balance is KEY! Once you learn how to settle your mind, innovation and inspiration comes at the speed of lighting. So whenever you find yourself in need of inspiration consider the following tips.
1. Write Things Down
There’s nothing worst than coming up with an amazing idea then completely forgetting about it. 
That’s why it’s good to write great ideas down when you think of them because if not, you’ll lose it. Even if you think it’s not a good idea, you still have to write it down. Writing things down allows you to go back over your thoughts, maybe that bad idea wasn’t as horrible as you thought.
2. Switch up Your Habits
Having a schedule helps to create balance. It’s great to keep yourself on a schedule to ensure you complete all your tasks you have for the day. However, when its comes to unleashing your creativity, sometimes you have to stray from your daily routine. In order to do that you must first step outside of the box. You don’t have to step out the box too much but try taking a new route to work. Or instead of going straight home after work, stop at the park. Sometimes you just have to change your surroundings. Inspiration comes from everywhere and everything in life so when you’re constantly doing the same thing every single day, you aren’t allowing your mind to gather new information and your creativity comes to a halt. In order to fully let go of that box you love so much and change your surroundings you must first change you mindset. Changing your mindset from thinking “this is the only way I’m going to do things,” to “What if I did this this way instead,” is the only way to allow new ideas to surface.
3. Ask around/ Browse the Web
Sometimes instead of wasting time trying to get your creative juices flowing, it’s best to ask for someone’s opinion or browse the web. It’s great to get inspiration from others, especially because they think differently than you. You can also use the internet to gain inspiration from experienced entrepreneurs. The internet is the worlds largest library, you can get lost in the paths of links that will bring you to new and fascinating ideas.
4. Fail
Now I know none of us want to fail, but sometimes failure can lead you to fresh ideas. You start to think of what you could’ve done differently to improve for the next time. Failure doesn’t mean you failed it just means you have to do better. Life is all about trial and error, and if you’ve never failed at something, how can you grow? As Mr. Jones said in Friday, “You win some, you lose some, but you live, you live to fight another day.” If you know this movie (one of my all time favorites) you know this is a fight scene, but this quote implies to life in general. You’re not going to win at everything you do, but at least you tried and learned from your mistakes. Remember that “Nothing beats a failure but a try.” – R. J. Smith.
5. Stop Being a Perfectionist
Being a perfectionist is not a bad thing, I understand that you want to have all your ducks in a row. However, sometimes you don’t have to an idea completely refined. Sometimes you just have to take flight with what you have and the inspiration will come.
6. Stay Active
In order for your mind to stay healthy and active, your body must also stay healthy and active. Get out and take a walk with nature, or hit the gym. Being active helps to stimulate your mind. It will take your mind off things because at that moment you can only concentrate on the physical task at hand. Not only does working out keep you in shape, it helps with staying focused as we talked about in the article “Details Matter: 8 Ways to Improve Your Focus Skills“.
7. Be the Dumbest Person in the Room
Now I’m not saying dumb yourself down in front of others to gain inspiration. Simply surround yourself with people who have more experience than you. Ask them questions in order to figure out how they think. You may even be able to get their advice on a project your working on by asking them how they would tackle the task at hand.
8. Don’t Over Analyze
At times we tend to over think what we’re doing. Not because we want to but as entrepreneurs, it is our job to come up with new and innovative ideas. That’s what we do! Before you throw away any idea, brainstorm in order to see if it makes sense. However, you don’t want to spend too much time on something that doesn’t make any sense so, don’t over analyze it.
9. Never Stop Learning
You never want to stop learning. Most successful entrepreneurs read hundreds of books in their spare time. They’re constantly trying to widen their horizons and gain knowledge in their area of expertise as well as others. Other than reading you can also attend seminars or check out networking events, it allows you to gain knowledge from other entrepreneurs like yourself. You must also remember that knowledge is power, so the more knowledge you have the more powerful you will become as an entrepreneur.
Hopefully these tips have already sparked your creativity.
