Have you ever had an a-ha moment? That split-second when something previously unclear, frustrating, even confounding, suddenly makes sense. 💡 You feel a rush of energy, clarity, and exhilaration as new avenues and possibilities open up to you.

I’ve heard clients describe these moments as divine downloads, a random neuron firing, and even the voice of God speaking to them. Whatever your unique experience, it feels like magic, doesn’t it?

“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all and then stands back to see if we can find them” - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic

While magic is all well and good but doesn’t feel like a particularly solid base for building a profitable creative business. Am I right?

What if there were a way to break the magic of a-ha moments into a more predictable phenomenon? Would you be up for creating more of them? Heck yeah, you would!

OK, let’s give it a whirl. We’ll break it down the following way:

1. What a-ha moments are
2. How to cultivate the conditions for a-ha moments to occur
3. How to turn this flash of awareness and clarity into meaningful action

If you’re ready to transform your a-ha’s into actions that move your business forward, read on…

1) What an a-ha moment is

An a-ha is that kapow! moment when something that was previously foggy and frustratingly out of reach suddenly makes sense. It’s the moment when it all suddenly clicks.

Wow, it feels good, doesn’t it?

While an a-ha moment might feel obscure or conceptual, it’s really not. It’s a new awareness. That’s it. And awareness is something we can cultivate. Woo hoo!

If you’re on board with the idea that a-ha moments are simply cultivating awareness (and therefore, neurology rather than magic), let’s take it one step further and talk about creating the conditions for cultivating awareness.

2) How to cultivate a-ha-friendly conditions

We ALL have challenges and conditions that we want more clarity around. Maybe it’s a desire to have better boundaries and relationships. Or perhaps it’s to break the feast or famine cycle and resulting financial strain.  Whatever our particular challenge is, the well-worn thought loops and same-old behaviors aren’t cutting it.  An a-ha insight would be great right about now.

But how do you cultivate an a-ha moment?

In my experience, approaching a challenge with a well-formed question is the first step to breakthroughs and progress.

With me so far? Hang in there. Let’s use a framework and example of this process in action so you can try it for yourself:

Framework:

• Put words to the challenge
• Name the feelings/emotions associated with the challenge
• Brainstorm awareness-evoking questions

Now, let’s work through an example using this framework.

• Put words to the challenge:
  

No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get my financial act together.

Name the feelings/emotions associated with the challenge

I feel embarrassed/silly/ashamed that I still haven’t figured this out at my age/stage of business/level of expertise.

Brainstorm awareness-evoking questions e.g.:

• What is the specific outcome I want to achieve with regard to personal finances?
• How would I describe an ideal state or reality e.g. financial freedom?
• What would it mean to me and my family to achieve this state?
• What would I need to believe to achieve this reality?
• Who do I believe I might alienate or upset by achieving this new financial reality?
• What identity would I need to assume to align with this reality? e.g. a saver, not a spender, a successful business owner, a person who makes smart money decisions, a person who understands the basic principles of personal finance, etc.?
  

Do you see how this process helps you bridge from unclear and stuck to clear and empowered?

Action step: Now it’s your turn. Pick a challenge and turn it into a question.

3) Turn your a-ha’s into action!

If you’ve spent any time with me at all, you know my purpose is to help brilliant creatives like you turn your ideas into profitable creative businesses.

The most critical link between brilliant ideas and a profitable reality is action!

Here are a few suggestions:

Talk about it (but choose your people wisely)
Have you ever noticed how something becomes real once you put words to it? Putting a new idea out there can feel vulnerable, so I encourage you to choose your people with care.  Growth and change inevitably require some courageous action and leaps of faith on your part, so we don’t want any fear-based nervous nellies extinguishing your fire. I cannot emphasize this enough: choose your confidants with care.

Action step: List the people you can fully trust with your innermost thoughts and ideas

Do your research
A-ha’s are lightning bolts. They don’t come fully formed with instruction manuals, so you’re going to need to become a bit of a sleuth. One year ago, I had the a-ha that I should look into becoming a certified ADHD coach. All I knew at that point was there was a strong correlation between creativity, entrepreneurship, and ADHD. As the mother of a son with ADHD, I was personally invested in supporting neurodiverse people. But other than that, I didn’t really know what I was looking for. So, I took to Google and typed in “ADHD coaching,” which led me to ADHD coaching programs, which led me to understand there were some credentials that were better than others, etc., etc. I followed the breadcrumbs until I had three training programs to investigate and consider. One month and a sizable investment later, I was enrolled in a one-year program. Last December I became a certified ADHD life coach!

Action step: Bridge your way from a fleeting idea to viable options to a concrete next step.

Find your support team
This is probably the most important piece of advice. We all need high-level, consistent support to make our big ideas happen.  Depending upon the resources available to you, find the people you can count on to brainstorm with, give you feedback, support you, and hold you accountable. Maybe your list includes a friend, professional peer, mentor, group, or coach.

Action step: Brainstorm and list them all, reach out to them, make the request, and see what happens.

Now it’s your turn! Write down ONE thing you will do to turn the magic of your a-ha moments into action!