How to Find Extraordinary Ideas in the Ordinary

by Angie Macdonald

Yang-May : “I’m delighted to say that Angie Macdonald is joining ZenGuide as partner, specialising in web-content writing and blog management/ editing for businesses. She has a background in teaching and drama, freelance journalism and high-performance coaching.

Enjoy!”

Let’s face it, finding ideas for your business blog isn’t always easy. There may be times when you’re overflowing with thoughts and ideas and others when you hit a blank wall, or rather, a blank screen. Nothing. Zilch. Your readers are waiting for their weekly or even daily update, and you have nothing to say. Panic sets in and you haven’t a clue where the next idea is going to come from.

Relax. You’re in good company. Any writer worth their salt will be able to recount tales of when the muse deserted them. But what they may not tell you, is that there are many ways to encourage the muse to return, to free up the brain and get those creative juices flowing again.

History is full of stories of inventors who had their moment of revelation at a time when they weren’t consciously working on a project. Take George de Mestral for example, the inventor of Velcro ™. After a walk with his dog one day, they both returned home covered in burrs, the plant seed-sacs that cling to animal fur and fabric. Mestral immediately studied one of the burrs under a microscope, and saw all the small hooks that enabled the burr to cling to tiny loops in the fabric of his trousers. In that moment he decided to design a two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like burrs and the other side with soft loops like the fabric of his trousers and Velcro™ was born.

Taking a tip from Mestral’s book, my advice for any blogger looking for ideas is clear your head. Go for a walk. Get away from your computer, let your mind wander and see what comes up.

Experiencing something new, whether it be listening to different music, changing radio channels, or exploring an unknown part of your city, can all lead to you having fresh ideas. Just the other day I picked up a copy of Harper’s Bazaar for the first time. At first, flicking through the pages of beautiful people and society gossip, I felt like an alien newly acquainted with the species. Everything was so unlike my usual reading tastes – I have a fondness for .net magazine and Gardens Monthly. I wasn’t necessarily looking for ideas, but before I knew it, I had reached for pen and paper and was writing down idea after idea for blog posts. Posts I never even knew I wanted to write.

How observant are you? It’s so easy to switch off as we go about our day, talking on the mobile or plugged into an iPod. When was the last time you noticed a flower blooming in your garden? Or looked at a plaque or engraving on a building as you pass by on the bus? The more you notice in the world around you, the more you will find to comment on. And ideas for blog posts will arise.

As you go about your day, ask yourself questions about the people you encounter, the situations you take for granted. Why are things the way they are? Who is the person serving you? Curiosity starts with the question, “I wonder why…?”

Remember, the world is full of ideas and creativity. It’s a matter of how receptive you are to the ordinary that can lead to blog posts full of interest and vitality. It only takes a bit of imagination to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel in need of a walk.

Photo: thanks to underconsideration.com