Where to Find Inspiration in the Little Things Around You
Perhaps you’ve found yourself typing into Google, “Where to find inspiration?” The lovely thing is, it’s often much closer than we think. Sometimes all we need is a little nudge or a bit of encouragement to notice it sitting right beside us (quite literally).
Inspiration has a funny way of appearing in the smallest places. It can be tucked inside everyday moments, tiny rituals, or things we almost walk past. I’ve listed a few little ways to find it below, along with some lovely thoughts from friends on where they like to discover their own.
Books with worn covers or folded page corners
I bet somewhere on your bookshelf there’s a book you’ve loved so much that the cover has started to wear with time. Maybe you’ve folded the corners of pages to mark the words that really spoke to you, or perhaps like mine, they’re filled with (way to many) colourful sticky tabs.
There might even be a book that inspired you to start a new positive daily habit, take action, or begin a creative project. Or one filled with words that helped you through a difficult season, brought you laughter and joy, or even left you with happy tears.
You never quite know what you’ll land on when you flick it open again (I love doing this!). I bet there are words just waiting to be shared. Even a single sentence could lead to a reflection that really resonates with someone else.
Perhaps there’s a review ready to be written, and a collection of your favourite books might be exactly what someone else is looking for.
Old notebooks filled with half-finished ideas or scribbles
Sometimes there’s a lot of treasure hiding in the notebooks we’ve tucked away. Maybe there’s one you used for brainstorming and is filled with ideas you jotted down in a rush? They could be things that you felt excited about, but they got forgotten over time. Those half-finished thoughts and scribbles could be little seeds that are ready to be picked up again and planted.
Maybe there’s one you used as a journal that you wrote in for a while, that’s hidden away in the drawer of your desk? Why not look back and see what you were thinking this time last year, or even five years ago.
Objects on your desk like pens, mugs, paperclips, or trinkets
I love how almost everything holds its own story. I wonder if there’s a pen on your desk that you always reach for because it’s your favourite one to use. Why is it your favourite. Where did it come from? Was it a gift? What makes it special to you?
The same could be said for so many other things on your desk. A favourite mug, a candle, a diary, a particular book that you love to keep close, a quote you have printed, or sticky notes full of little reminders. And if your desk is anything like mine, there are probably a few small cuddly friends dotted around too.
Conversations you overhear in passing
I love how Miranda Keeling captures this so beautifully in both her books, ‘The Year I Stopped to Notice’ and ‘The Place I’m In’. Maybe it’s while you’re sat on a bench in a park, or sat in your favourite coffee shop working or reading a good book. It might even be at a networking event, or simply during a short wander. Sometimes it’s hard not to overhear a conversation, especially when it reaches our ears for a particular reason.
It may just inspire your day in the most wonderful way. It might inspire you to create, solve a problem, start something new like a hobby, or perhaps like Miranda it may inspire to write down the things you heard that have brightened your day, and you never know what that may turn into.
Saved posts, Pinterest boards and screenshots
If you’re on social media, you’ve probably built up quite a collection of saved posts over time, whether that’s on Facebook, in your Instagram Collections, or even on Threads (yes, you can save posts there too, just in case you didn’t know).
These are some of my favourite places to revisit whenever I’m looking for inspiration. I save posts that have made me laugh, lit up an idea, felt comforting and have encouraged me to create.
On Instagram I’ve created Collections for all kinds of things, including art, photography, books, simple living, writing, cleaning motivation, journaling, cosy comfort food, food hacks, cottagecore, and so much more.
Sometimes, simply revisiting some of these can inspire you in so many amazing ways. Plus, there’s a reason why you saved them!
I also asked my lovely Instagram and Substack friends what small, everyday things light them up with inspiration…
Sarah shared that “I find inspiration everywhere, music, things people say, quotes, tv, books; I think as a writer you have to find inspiration everywhere.”
Rebecca said “I always listen to my playlist of mellow film soundtracks when I’m writing or editing photos - I find it so soothing and my mind wanders into creative worlds when I listen to them.”
Alegria beautifully shared that “for me inspiration arrives in the quiet mindful joys I tend to; a walk in the forest under dappled sunlight, hands in my garden’s soil amid the scent of roses , so many wonderful books too numerous to mention. And of course my love of journalling, the way ink flows, creating words between floral stickers and washi tape, I love all of it. How blessed we are to notice, and savour the little meaningful moments.”
Where do you find little moments of inspiration in your everyday life?
If you’d love some more ideas, in this blog post I shared a few of my favourite books for everyday inspiration. And here, I shared my favourite places to find creative inspiration.
If you’d like some more bookish inspiration, I’d love for you to join me over on my Journal of Soulful Reflections, for my monthly series called From the Book Corner… It’s all about books!