Day Dream Your Way to Great Article Ideas

Last week I wrote about a sleeping dream that inspired a year-long marketing program, a creative discovery process, a book and many articles for my ezine. In the end that one dream helped me generate over $40,000 in income. (And that was just from one dream!)

Today I’m going to tell you how “day dreaming” can achieve similar results. I don’t have a fancy financial figure to impress you with, but I can tell you that this method of gathering ideas is priceless.

How can you day dream your way to great ideas?

To begin with, let’s imagine you want to have your own ezine, but you’re concerned you’ll never have enough ideas to create consistent content. This is a challenge most writers face, and unfortunately, it prevents a lot of people from committing to a regular writing schedule.

But there are many ways you can generate valuable content ideas, and today I’m going to show you one of my tricks. Believe it or not, it is a simple process that involves relaxing and enjoying myself while going for a walk.

Step One: Experience Nature and Be Present

The key to gathering ideas is to observe everything around you. You have to look at your surroundings and be fully present with your senses.

• See the details, the subtle weave of branches, how people or animals interact.
• Hear the many layers of sounds, like the birds, bees, and airplanes high overhead.
• Feel the texture of the plants as you walk by. Notice if they are soft, slippery, or rough.
• Breathe in the aromas as you pass by various trees and flowers.

Let it all sink in and connect with what you are doing.

This is exactly what I do every time I go for a walk. Not only does it clear my mind and help me relax, the process also generates a goldmine of ideas for articles.

Step Two: Listen and Record Your Ideas

So last week I went for a walk and took photos of every plant that inspired an idea. When I got home I looked through my photos and recorded the following observations:

As a mind, body and soul practitioner you are like a camera for your clients:

• You help expose patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed
• You help them focus on the abundance in their lives
• You help them see situations from a new angle so they can find depth and a fresh perspective

Don’t grow weeds in your life garden. Just because they’re beautiful doesn’t mean they won’t take over and leave you exhausted from weeding.

Sometimes things look dead but in reality they are full of life.

How you create a beautiful photograph is how you create a beautiful business, both include color, depth and texture.

• With the right color you can convey the appropriate mood.
• Getting too close to a situation can make you stop seeing the situation. Sometimes you have to back up in order to find clarity.
• Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal. People like knowing you.

Using humor in articles can be a mistake because not all people have the same sense of humor.

(See the live snails on Mary’s ears? Some people find this image funny, others frightening.)

We all bloom at different times in life. There is no “right” time to bloom.

Step Three: Look Beyond the Obvious and Make Connections to Other Areas of Life

After recording your observations, reflect on ways you can relate them to your clients’ lives.

For instance, I saw a seed pod that looked withered and dead, but when I turned it over it had red, juicy seeds inside. It wasn’t dead at all.

I had this thought:

Sometimes things look dead, but in reality they are full of life.

Immediately I thought of all the times in life when “things” seem dead, but are really holding the potential for new life. These “things” could be projects, relationships, ideas, or any other experience.

Step Four: Turn your observation into article ideas

All of my notes above can easily be turned into articles. Many lines can even be turned into a variety of articles. For instance, from the example sentence Things sometimes look dead but in reality they are full of life I can create three articles with headlines that read like this:

1. 7 ways to determine if your spiritual practice is dead or ready for resurrection
2. What if your “useless” ideas are really the “useful” ideas people have been waiting for?
3. How can you breathe new life into your worn out projects so you don’t have to start over again?

Step Five: Write

After you’ve generated some ideas, record them in a journal specifically for article ideas. Record one idea per page, write the potential headline(s) at the top and below it add some points you’d like to make about that topic.

Later, if you feel uninspired, turn to your journal and look for an idea.

Summary:

Collecting ideas for articles can be fun and enjoyable. It involves:

• Paying attention with all of your senses
• Letting your surroundings speak to you
• Keeping an idea journal

When you approach your waking experiences like a dream it’s easier to gather ideas. Look at the obvious images, like birds, flowes and trees, and then look deeper. See objects as symbols of other things. Or experiences as metaphors.

Make your own meaning. Let your mind wander and wonder, and soon you’ll have a journal filled with ideas worth writing about.

*all photos are by me and are copyright protected.