Where does inspiration come from?

On fall weekends in America millions of people pack into stadiums to encourage a group of humans wearing one colored shirt to push a piece of pig intestine filled with air past a chalk line where another group of humans wearing a different colored shirt don’t want it to go. (I once laughed at this for hours while taking mushrooms)

But what inspires all of these people to set aside an entire day, spend tons of money and yell until their lungs give out for something that has little to no impact on their actual life?

Belief that what they are doing matters.

Coming from the Latin inspirare, meaning “to breathe into,” the word inspiration was originally used in a divine context to mean a kind of mystical animating force, a profound idea or truth revealed to an unsuspecting person. Inspiration can seem to “appear” out of nowhere, but what do we know about the brain and behavioral psychology today that can help us shorten the distance between cause and effect?

ON A NEUROLOGICAL LEVEL

Inspiration takes place in the anterior superior temporal gyrus. It is located roughly under our right ear on the right-hand side.There is a burst of waves in the back of your head where our visual cortex is found. This is where all of our visual inputs are processed.

This means inspiration starts with a “preparation” of alpha waves in the visual cortex (meditation hint hint #1) creating a sort of “blink” in the brain that allows for the gamma waves to burst in the anterior superior temporal gyrus. The process leads to a vision of something very briefly in your mind’s eye (located in your pineal gland)

What does this mean? In layman's terms, this is the product of marrying a clear intention (the thought) with an elevated emotion (the belief). When we meditate or practice breathwork, we stimulate the brain to move into alpha and become more coherent. These alpha waves also carry information and the pineal gland acts as a radio receiver that allows us to tune into frequencies around us. Just like your router picks up a wifi signal carrying information, so too does your brain and even your heart.

According to neuroscientific research the best way to allow inspiration to surface is by disengaging your logic (meditation hint hint #3). 

Did you notice how it says “allow inspiration to surface”? This means that inspiration is always there but isn’t always accessible to our conscious mind. In fact, the conscious mind can be an inhibitor to inspiration when left unchecked. While the prefrontal cortex is the crowning achievement of the brain which allows us to look forward and backwards, plan and problem solve. It also gives us the ability to self destruct and self sabotage.

We must learn how to use and discipline the mind, structure our time, and disengage our logic in order to access inspiration.

Why do some people thrive completing what appears to be the most menial of tasks while others who seem to have big important jobs and the world at their fingertips struggle so mightily? Why do some days we feel like we can take on the world and others like we don’t want to get out of bed? 

Belief. 

We need to believe in what we are doing and why we are doing it. The biggest enemy to inspiration is losing the belief that who we are and what we do matters. It can be quite easy to adopt a nihilistic viewpoint. When most of us die, there will be no breaking news story. No parade. No moment of silence. 

So why try? What is our inspiration?

Well, for so many of us in the west, it’s about outcomes. Study hard, get good grades. Get good grades, get into a good college. Get into a good college, get a good job. Get a good job, get paid well. Get paid well, get nice things and happiness. Do that for 40-50 years and then retire. Plant a garden and hope your family doesn’t put you in a nursing home.

I’ve traveled the world and seen people with very few possessions with huge smiles on their face. I’ve also carried golf bags and parked cars for rich people in the Hamptons who incessantly complained about how things weren’t going their way. Suffice to say, it has not been my experience that money creates happiness. 

ON A PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVEL

In terms of psychology, two particular factors play a big role in what happens when we become inspired: values and self-worth. 

Values Matter

When we discover our muse and dignify it with repetition, we start living according to our values. Our personal values are very important as they influence the way we show ourselves to the world. They truly matter to us. Dr. John DeMartini asserted that: “when we are living out of alignment with our values, we are more likely to manifest addictive behavior, self-sabotage, and procrastination in our lives. When we are living within our values, we experience better memory retention, focus, and productivity.” 

This leads us to the conclusion that our brain is constantly filtering information according to our value system. The more we recognize and live according to what we believe is truly important in life, the better chance we have to take inspired action. Our mindfulness practices help us to create this value system and know when we get off track.

The yogis knew this all too well, that’s why before any yoga postures, breathwork or meditation, they said a yoga must adhere to a series of moral behaviors known as the yamas and niyamas. They are similar to many threads that run through religions about how we treat ourselves and others. This was the first step to liberating lifeforce energy or what they call prana.

Self-worth Support

“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-brake on.” – Maxwell Maltz

Inspiration lifts that handbrake and brings more sense of freedom into our life. With freedom comes your sense of authenticity. Willingness to learn, grow and pursue your passion results as well. It isn’t easy to believe in yourself if there is very little inspiration in your life. Think about that the next time you have the urge to ignore your inner guidance. When we stop disowning what matters to us, we have more energy and vitality to achieve the life we desire. When we take time to know what matters to us and how we want to feel, energy begins to flow. 

ON A PHYSIOLOGICAL LEVEL

When we find ourselves inspired our body produces higher levels of serotonin and dopamine. (meditation hint hint #4)

You’ve probably heard about these neurochemicals before. They are usually associated with indulgent food intake and sex. You will be happy to hear that there are other ways to create these chemicals in our brain and physiology. Inspired action can be as good as the previously mentioned pleasures in stimulating the neurochemicals. Meditation, breathwork, movement, purpose and community all contribute to releasing these chemicals as well. Journaling and affirmations have also been shown to increase feel good chemical levels.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter involved in movement, memory, pleasurable reward, and motivation. Serotonin is involved in well-being, appetite regulation, and the transmission of nerve impulses. This means that the more inspiration, the more of such simulations.

On the other hand, if we feel like we are victims of circumstances and just getting by in life, then we will stimulate a higher production of cortisol. You have probably heard about this neurotransmitter as well. It is most commonly known as the neurochemical related to stress.

In the long run what impacts our mood the most, either energizing or depleting us, are the chemicals in our body called neurotransmitters. More than nutrition, caffeine or even good sleep. Inspiration “juices us up” with good ones, while the lack of it poisons our body with stress.

ON A BEHAVIORAL LEVEL

With inspiration in the picture, setbacks can now be reframed as opportunities for growth; limiting self-beliefs can be chances for self-acceptance and inner peace. 

There is no failure, just learning. 

This mentality drives a powerful proactive behavior that leaves you as the creator of your own life with the ability to tackle circumstances head-on rather than a victim of circumstance. Interesting fact: when we are inspired we are more likely to replace fear of the unknown with curiosity in the brain

Have you already determined what truly matters to you? What makes your life meaningful? What are you passionate about?

If you haven't, now is the best time to do so! Beginning a mindfulness practice is a great way to start! If you can’t immediately remove all obstacles, at least become aware of them so that you can begin to create your unique, compelling vision. Determine what you want, then go for it, and remember change takes time. Change requires a lot in terms of effort, but it yields much in return as well.

“Do what you have to until you can do what you want to!” – Maya Angelou

Never give up.

Need help starting a meditation practice? Check out our free resources on youtube by searching SoCal Wellness Retreats or on Insight Timer by searching for John Quirk.