That Lightning-Bolt Idea? Here’s How to Ground It

Congratulations—you did it.  

You quieted the noise.  You stepped out of the loop of overthinking.  You tuned into that elusive, high-frequency channel of inspiration and whoosh: a flash of insight, a spark of brilliance, a message that feels both wildly new and eerily familiar finds its way into your awareness.

This is inspiration. And it doesn’t linger.

When it hits, you have to move fast. Strike while the iron’s hot.

Elizabeth Gilbert captures this beautifully in Big Magic, where she shares poet Ruth Stone’s unforgettable story of chasing inspiration through a field:

“[g]rowing up on a farm in rural Virginia, she would sometimes hear a poem coming toward her—like a galloping horse. She’d run like hell to grab a pencil and paper before the poem passed through her. Sometimes she caught it. Sometimes she missed it. And sometimes—if she barely caught it ‘by the tail’—she’d have to pull it back into her body, transcribing it in reverse, from the last word to the first.”

That’s how slippery inspiration can be.

It’s not a housecat. It’s a wild animal.  It doesn’t come when you call. It shows up when the conditions are right: quiet mind, open heart, tuned-in attention.

And if you’re not ready to grab it by the tail?

It runs.

Step One: Catch It in the Moment

Inspiration rarely shows up as a perfectly formed paragraph. More often, it arrives as a flicker — a word, an image, a metaphor, or a sharp intuitive “hit.” And almost always, it shows up inconveniently.

Yet when it comes, it comes to you. For a reason.  You’ve tuned your receiver (your brain) to the right channel (inspiration) — something I'll unpack in a future post — but for now, trust this:
Genuine inspiration comes from beyond your brain, and it’s fleeting.  If you don’t catch it, it will simply find another antenna that’s ready and willing to receive the signal.

So when the nudge comes, stop what you’re doing. Write it down.  Use your Notes app. Scribble on a receipt. Record a voice memo mid-hike if you have to.

Because here’s the truth:
You will forget.

Even if it feels unforgettable in the moment, inspiration fades fast.  It dissolves back into the ether unless it’s caught, named, and honored.

Same goes for dreams.  Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with vivid, detailed dream fragments — only to find, come morning, they’ve vanished? That’s why it’s essential to capture them immediately. The peculiar details are the treasure, don’t let that gold dust blow away.

Step Two: Do Something With It

This is the part most people skip.

Receiving inspiration is one thing.  Acting on it is another.

How many times have you had a brilliant idea and thought, “I should do something with that,” only to let it collect cobwebs in the corners of your mind?

We all do it. But here’s the thing:

Every time you ignore a stroke of genius, you weaken the signal.

Not because the universe is punishing you — but because you’re clogging the flow. You're putting a kink in the hose instead of using the rushing water to nurture what’s sprouting.

When you take action — even something small — you send a message back to the universe:
“I’m listening. I’m ready. Send the next one.”

Inspiration rewards follow-through.  It loves momentum.  The more you apply the inspiration, the more you receive.

What Action Can Look Like

Acting on inspiration doesn’t mean you have to write a novel every time lightning strikes.

Sometimes, it’s just sketching it out, turning it into a conversation, writing a journal entry, or building a prototype.

The point is: take it out of the abstract. Give it form.
That’s how you build trust with the source. That’s how you signal readiness for more.  

The Takeaway

Inspiration is not a monologue.  It’s a dialogue: a back and forth exchange, a reciprocal process.  When the universe taps you in, you step up to the plate and take your best swing if you want to keep getting picked for the team. 

You quiet your mind.
You catch the whisper.
You act on it.

And little by little, as you co-create with this mysterious source, the channel opens wider.

So don’t be casual with your genius.
Don’t let those lightning bolts slip back into the clouds.

Ground it. Transform the energetic transmission into something tangible. Generate momentum and keep on riding that wave.  

That’s how you align with the next spark — and how you build a lifelong creative partnership with the inspiration.