Being an entrepreneur is hard. You finally find the time to sit down to make or to write or to build or to plan, and you’re stuck. You’ve already Googled it, and scrolled through pages of 786,000,000 results discovered in 0.54 seconds. Your 2-minute attention span loses interest after 140 characters, and you end up on social media seeking a dopamine hit.

How do you stay relevant in a world that is spinning and changing by the minute? How do you come up with fresh ideas in a market that’s booming with product? How do you stay inspired in a digital community of imitators?

Inspiration is everywhere. It’s just a matter of knowing where to find it!

Google defines inspiration as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative,” or “the drawing in of breath; inhalation.”

Breathing literally gives us life. Here are five tips that will hopefully breathe life into your business!

1. Research
Start by researching what others have done and are doing. Whether you want to study the use of color from one of Monet’s paintings, quickly search for inspirational quotes for your next calligraphy piece, or find a tutorial on coding for your website, invest time into research.

In your research, be sure to look for those who are like you and those you are unlike you. Researching people in your industry will help you build on your strengths and can create a community of like-minded individuals. The benefit of expanding your research to those in other industries is analogous inspiration. Their products may be very different than yours but their methods will challenge you to think or make or do differently! It’s amazing what you can discover when you spend just 60 minutes doing intentional secondary research.

2. Input Sources
Where do you actually find those others who are like you and unlike you? Look in the digital world and in the physical world. Use social media to follow accounts and hashtags and to reach out through messages. Make multiple Pinterest boards to curate content. Browse Dribbble and Behance for artists, illustrators, and designers. Take time to watch how-to videos on YouTube. Remember, the idea is to seek inspiration, not comparison (#collaborationovercompetition).

Make sure to get outside the world of pixels and into the world of three dimensions! Craft stores and art walks sing of artistry. Coffee shops and co-working spaces buzz with creative energy. Books, libraries, and magazines hold repositories of untapped knowledge. Parks and nature literally provide the oxygen your brain and body needs. Inspiration is all around us and at our fingertips.

3. Documentation
After you’ve found what inspires you, make sure to keep track of it! Our minds are prone to forget. Pinterest is a great way to store and organize everything you find online. They have a plug in for Google Chrome that allows you to pin every image that comes up on a webpage. You can also use Google Drive or Evernote to create documents or spreadsheets for yourself easily from your phone. The Notes app is also a quick way to capture a thought before it flies away. If you prefer more tangible options, simply carry around a notebook to jot down ideas wherever you go. Pick a medium and document everything!

4. Practice
Trying new techniques? Mastering old? Not only does practice make perfect progress, practice makes inspiration. While mastering a skill takes 10,000 hours, learning a new skill only takes 20 hours! Deliberate practice over the course of days will move you from novice to competent and boost your confidence. That confidence boost and those new skills will bring a return on your investment of time in the form of inspiration. As you practice, you may unlock a new talent or passion and be inspired to dive even deeper into your hustle!

5. Accountability
The saying, “Iron sharpens iron” is true. When you create accountability, you step into uncertainty and vulnerability. It takes courage to show your work to others and receive critical feedback. Accountability will create strength and bring excellence to what you do.

There are many ways to create accountability. Find other women who are like you and schedule time to work “together” alone—meeting in the same place but working on individual hustles. You can also take a class to learn a new skill or schedule monthly meet ups with others in your industry. Try writing down your goals and sharing them with a friend who can check in on your progress periodically. Connecting with others, from friends to strangers, amateurs to experts, inspires you in real time.

That’s it! Breathe deeply, Hatch gals! Let these five tips bring some fresh air to your creative lungs and bring you inspiration.

Share which of these five tips is your favorite with us!