Why travel feels inspiring

Why is traveling to new places considered such inspiration? Think hard about what the difference really is between home and abroad. To someone else, that exotic destination is totally mundane. Even in the most beautiful or remote places, you’ll find a tour guide or local farmer who feels the same way you feel about your morning commute or workplace routine.

When I lived in Rome, I was struck by how many businesspeople rushed past these magnificent structures that I couldn’t help but gawk at — because for me, it provided a new perspective. I couldn’t help but mindfully observe them. Not the case for those who walked or drove past those same buildings thousands of times.

No, it’s not the destination that creates inspiration. It’s the perspective. It’s the feeling of uncertainty and the subsequent need to be totally mindful. These are more easily and automatically triggered when we travel to new places than when we work and live our daily lives.

Perspective. Mindfulness. These are hard-won, but utterly available, right at home. Every little thing that happens — everything you read, see, observe, or feel — can lead to an insight or a story. The question isn’t whether inspiration is present in your life. The question is whether you are.

If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place. — Rainer Maria Rilke

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