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Making Time to be Inspired

I had a dream once where an animal reminded me to engage in “experiences that nourish the soul,” experiences that inspire me and remind me who I am. Great advise, but with so many things on our plate how do we find time to be inspired? MBTI® type preferences can give us a lot of insight into how we can make time to be inspired in a way that’s most comfortable and enjoyable for us. My type preferences play a big part in my actually finding time for inspirational recharge, and as I share below about my own preferences think about how your own preferences play into the way you could make time for inspiration.

My preferences are for introversion, intuition, feeling, and perceiving—INFP—and what inspires me and how I make time to be inspired is a reflection of my own valuing of these preferences. Finding time for inspiration is not “one size fits all,” and my secret to carving out time is to follow the path my preferences set forth. Let’s look at each.

Introversion. 
I am recharged by my time alone with my thoughts and ideas, so, even if it’s only for brief periods, I find time to be by myself. I have learned that it doesn’t always have to be a full day or even a full hour—sometimes ten minutes is all I need to rediscover my enthusiasm and drive.

Intuition. 
I never know the details of what’s going to inspire me or when. I follow my intuition throughout the day and the week, paying attention to when it feels right to engage in those soul-nourishing experiences.

Feeling.
 I’m inspired by engaging in experiences that align with my values, regardless of whether they make logical sense or not. For example, I care for my dogs immensely, and showing them how much they mean to me by taking good care of them and giving them lots of exercise is one way I engage in an experience that aligns with those values. I hike with my dogs every morning when I’m not traveling. Sometimes that means getting up extra early (even if I have plenty of time that afternoon) or hiking in the rain (even if the forecast is for sunshine later in the day). Starting my morning in the woods with my dogs creates that inner harmony that I crave, and inspires my day.

Perceiving.
No planning for me—time for inspiration cannot be scheduled in. It always finds its way in, but very rarely because a time for it has been written in on the planner. If you have a preference for judging, you might find that scheduling just 10 minutes in the morning, during your lunch break or before bed to write down what inspires you is a better option for you than waiting for inspiration to find time in your schedule.

Now I know that my way of finding time for inspiration will not work for everyone—that’s the beauty of type. I’ve taken the time to explore my type preference and find ways to engage in experiences that nourish my soul that are right for me—I encourage you to do the same.