Inspiration phenomenon
The last article I uploaded was an older article of mine, “Inspiration vs discipline” (You can read it here), and how, sometimes uncomfortable or painful, disciplined action can help us make progress faster.
However, I feel like I still want to expand on this topic of Inspiration, and only then I can move to the next topic. Or at least that’s what my order-loving brain is asking of me, and I feel obliged to agree. So here we are.
Now, to begin the story time, let’s use our teleportation and time-travelling powers and go back in time by about 16 years. I was about 15 then, living in a small village in southern Lithuania, with a population of about 11,000 people. Going to school where I would say at least 50% of students didn’t care about learning, school, grades, or their behaviour altogether, I was one of those bookworm kids who tried to survive in what felt to be more than 150 dB environment. My sweet escape during breaks and at home at that time was “success” literature: R.Kiyosaki, D. Carnegie, D. Chopra, “How to achieve anything you want” type of books, and so on. It both gave me hope of a better lifestyle and formed my views on career, success, happiness, and, amongst other things, inspiration.
Now it would seem that reading such literature is only beneficial for young minds, as it expands one’s horizons, teaches about self-management, gives fuel to figure out what one wants, and go after those dreams. And it sure is valuable. But there is also a caveat to it: if you don’t have a realistic understanding and experience of how the world works, there is a slight (or a big) chance that you will tend to create a very utopian view on both the concept and how to incorporate it into your life.
And that’s what happened in my case.
Inspiration, motivation, and other ‘tions became so important in my mind, that I was always looking for it: those amazing ideas that could become tangible business projects – but they must be grand. Goals – the bigger and crazier, the better. Feeling in the morning when you wake up – excitement about life and unlimited energy to seize the day. Now I may be exaggerating to a degree, but what I wanted to say is that inspiration and motivation was something that I imagined must be at the beginning and the very core of every action, or it wouldn’t count or be deemed as worthy enough. It seemed like some sort of magic, a miracle that happens in your life. So I was always looking for that high, for something special, for something INSPIRATIONAL enough to fit the narrative of those books, and make my life fantastic in every sort of way.
Coming back to this day, and having much more life experience, I understand how naïve I was back then, and how many years I believed the narrative I had created for myself. Now, I see inspiration and motivation as completely different beasts, different energies. Much more simple, grounded, and down to earth. And the most important realisation hit me not too long ago. I shared it with you on my notes, a small typewritten piece of paper next to a watercolour drawing of a bird that said:
Inspiration is not supposed to keep you going.
It’s supposed to get you started.
Pause. Take a second to digest and read that again.
Inspiration is not supposed to keep you going.
It’s supposed to get you started.
Why is that? The word itself originated from the Latin word Inspirare meaning to breathe or blow into, which sounds similar to breathing in some fresh air or receiving a fresh idea. Nothing pompastic, attention-grabbing, or even remotely dramatic.
Just a concept, that is much more earthly: inspiration, just like the act of breathing in, is supposed to give you a surge of energy to take action. Like a small, gentle push from life itself, directing you to certain activities.
But just like we don’t continue inhaling for more than 8 seconds (more or less), inspiration is not supposed to last either. Inhale, exhale. The cycle continues. Get inspired, take action, get inspired, take action, rest. Do it again. The cycle continues.
And when we seek to be attached to a certain mood or state, it goes against the laws of life itself. It’s like trying to only inhale all the time or only exhale. It’s not possible. Thus, you are supposed to wave with life, up and down, left and right. Start, do, stop. Change, stay, and change again. And in between that, in between moments of inspiration, we need discipline, consistency, self-awareness, hard work, and other skills. So that when inspiration has done its job, we would still keep going in the direction we have decided.
So all in all, inspiration is a beautiful thing. It makes us see things differently, try new tastes of life, and makes us feel more alive. So cherish the moments of inspiration that life brings your way, but understand that you can take action regardless, even if something feels boring. Because the quality of your work or anything else you do depends not on how much inspiration you get, but how much effort you put in the action of doing, and how long you keep at it after inspiration has done its job.
Thank you for reading and until the next time!
Best wishes,
Agne Be
Great read. I think inspiration is great if we keep doing the things we need to