Since I joined the TIS team full-time in April 2015, I've pretty much taken the reigns of the TIS blog. We all know the benefits of blogging are a-plenty, so with the help of my fabulous creative counterparts and leadership team, the TIS blog has become an awesome resource for content on branding, marketing, sustainability, team-building, email, web development, Grand Rapids-related info, and muuuuuch more.
As a brand marketing firm offering tons of valuable services for companies across several industries, and with a strong team of nine folks of different disciplines, life experiences and backgrounds, there truly is (or rather, should be), an unlimited number of topics and content to blog about every week—which is why it was my goal to publish a blog post every single week in 2017. Easy enough, right? Wrong.
Sometimes, inspiration can be hard to find.
In terms of content to cover on the blog, “the limit does not exist” (name that movie!) In terms of inspiration… well, that's another story. We've all experienced it—whether it be a lack of inspiration/motivation to design, make music, work out, clean the house, write, etc. Uninspiration comes in many different forms, all of which are seriously a bummer. But it's a part of life that we all go through.
And then comes the guilt.
Often times, with a lack of inspiration also comes guilt; feeling guilty for not knowing what to do/create, not forcing ourselves to suck it up and push through the lack of inspiration, or flat-out giving in and deciding to just accept it. And I've definitely been feeling the guilt this week.
Admittedly, I've been feeling a lack of inspiration with the blog over the last few weeks. This summer has been a crazy one for TIS. With our office move, big client projects, summer vacations, and gearing up to finish our brand-new website, the blog hasn't quite been at the forefront of our minds. All this commotion assuredly has contributed to my lack of inspiration/focus, but I was still determined enough to get a blog out each week so I could accomplish our 52-blog goal for 2017… until this week.
After hours of racking my brain and the brains of the TIS team, we eventually came to the conclusion that we'd take a break from the blog this week—hence the guilt for not meeting our goal. But why?
Why should we feel guilty for being uninspired?
We can't always be on our A game. We can't always be 100% in it, motivated, or inspired. These low points are part of the human experience… so why do we feel guilty at those low points?
TIS principal, creative director, and the best boss ever Karen Tracey recognized the guilt I was feeling and assured me that it is okay to not always be 100% on top of things. It is okay to adjust our goals. And most importantly, it is okay to take a break. After this pep talk/important reminder, I finally came to terms with not getting a new post out this week. I told myself it would be okay; our website would still exist, our company would still be relevant, and the world most certainly wouldn't end.
Yet here I am, writing this blog post.
Other times, inspiration can find you when you're least expecting it.
As I was getting ready for work this morning, I still found myself thinking about not publishing a new post this week. I reminded myself that this lack of inspiration would only be temporary, and it'd come to me again soon. Then just like that, I came to this realization: I am definitely not the only one to ever feel uninspired. So, why not talk about that on the TIS blog? Funny how my lack of inspiration ended up being my source of inspiration to write this post.
Like many things in life, inspiration can find you when you're least expecting it—and when you stop actively searching for it. But it's also important to recognize that may not happen on your “ideal” time frame. And that is okay! Don't beat yourself up over it.
Determined to find that inspiration?
If you're lacking inspiration but are still unwilling to give yourself a rest, there are a ton of wonderful resources/solutions out there to help you get back on track! Here are a few places to start:
10 Ways to Motivate When You're Feeling Uninspired
What to Do When You Feel Stuck, Uninspired or Otherwise Sluggish
And you can't forget about good ol' Pinterest! : )
