Motivation Vs Inspiration: Why We Need Both To Have Success

By Lachlan Haynes


Most people already know how important it is to take action if you want to achieve something - it's a major key to success. But what rarely gets enough attention is the concept of sustained action, or in particular how important your mindset is when it comes to sustaining action long term.

Despite all of the motivational posters, sport clothing, and tough talk you'll find today that speak of persistence, this is a quality not found in many people. In fact, those few who do practice persistence have earned it through hard work and consistency - another rare attribute. Gaining skills that will push you to the front of the line in any aspect of your life are completely dependent on your ability to learn these traits, and if you want to earn them yourself, you will first and foremost need to learn to control the emotional highs and lows to which we are all susceptible. Of course, many of us are cursed with more lows than we are highs. However, our mental disposition is what will truly determine where we end up on our journey toward success.

Each of us is familiar with those random bursts of energy that can find us achieving some of our greatest moments in life. Similarly, we all have the tendency to begin a project, goal, or idea with a wealth of energy, which can dwindle halfway through and find us giving up, or simply becoming taken with a new project without completing the first. This energy comes and goes when life interferes with setbacks, depressing events, or other things that can affect our emotional state, which, in turn, impacts our professional and personal results.

When we are feeling our best by eating right, exercising, staying healthy and not getting stressed out, getting enough sleep, and having a healthy social and family life, our emotional health will be positive. These good feelings spill over into the rest of our life. When you get a good grade due to your hard work and motivation, you will feel accomplished and this will carry you through to keep up the good work.

However, when the opposite happens, you are aren't eating right so you are hungry, you aren't sleeping well so you are tired, you aren't staying active so you feel run down and unhealthy, and you are not staying in touch with your friends or family, you will begin to feel the down part of the upswing. With all of these emotions and physical issues going on it will be likely you won't be able to focus on your studies and you may start to get poor grades or negative feedback from your teachers. This will only further push you down in your already unhappy state and you may begin feeling depressed and like you want to give up.

This is the point where you must focus on turning short term action into sustainable long term action. In order to achieve big, you need to think big. This applies in not just your schooling but your future career and the rest of your life. You must envision your future. Where do you want to be and how will you get there? When you know where you want to go, you can start to plan the way to get there. This is an important step that should never be ignored. You must map out the success in your life. Once you have that road map in your hands, you may be wondering, but how do I get there? The answer of course is one step at a time. It may seem minuscule or daunting but it works! Those continued short term actions, or steps, will move you closer and closer to your dreams. Celebrate each step you take in the right direction and before you know it, all of those little steps have turned into big leaps - and you have achieved your goal with long term sustained action.

This is where inspiration comes in. Inspiration is more spiritual than motivation because it comes from a more powerful source. Something more sustained and divine, something that comes from a place greater than the person. It's really a desire for change - big or small. Motivation, while still powerful, is often tied to a certain event, or time frame or set of circumstances. It's more physical, rooted in the present moment.

Motivation is a battle; inspiration is the war. It is the difference between taking a quick job at a fast food joint to get a pay check, and taking an internship that will earn us favor in a career that we want to enter into in order to change the world. Both of these goals require ambition to a certain degree, yet it is clear which of the two goals would both require more prolonged action, and end in a bigger, more satisfying payoff. Inspiration will carry you through the tough times - it would carry the student through the internship during moments when the lack of a bigger pay check could really invite some tough times.

Now is the time to really consider everything; to see yourself as a powerful piece in an even more powerful game. It's time to think about things like higher education, never needing a job that you despise, even the possibility of becoming a billionaire via the creation of something new that impacts people - even the entire world in a positive way! All of these outcomes can be possible for you; however, they require an ability to prolong your motivation long enough for it to transform into inspiration. Outcomes like these require that you can keep your eye on the big picture, while stepping evenly toward your goals every single day. Regardless of our circumstances, we can all direct our inspiration into unlimited potential - it is what you truly believe is possible that matters in the end. So, what is it that you are capable of - and how will you begin energizing your capacity to achieve it today?




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