(Note: if you would rather watch the YouTube video of this post, click here.)
In our name, IMPACTfull Life, the I in IMPACT stands for Inspiration. Now we all intuitively know what Inspiration means, but how do we define it?
Ask Google “What is inspiration?” and you’ll get nearly 1.5 billion results.
The Oxford dictionary defines it as, “The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.”
Webster’s definition is, “the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions.”
The simplest definition I found was, “a person or thing that inspires.”
Bottom line: There’s no agreed-upon
definition.
There seem to be as many different definitions as there are things that inspire us.
So I’m going to give you my opinion, and then I’m going to ask you to share with our community what inspires you.
I mentioned earlier that the I in IMPACTfull Life stands for Inspiration. The 2nd letter, M, stands for Motivation. Even though a lot of people use these terms interchangeably, I believe these are 2 related but different constructs. I’ll be talking more about Motivation in a separate post, so I want to keep the focus here primarily on Inspiration.
I believe Inspiration is whatever lifts you up, and Motivation is whatever moves you forward. Inspiration is long-term. It deals with the bigger picture, our life’s purpose, our “Why.”
The Latin root of the word inspiration means “divine guidance.” Well, divine guidance does not come from within. It is something much bigger. It comes from an external source, and it stimulates us or creates a passion inside of us that is very hard to extinguish.
You can motivate yourself to do something you don’t really want to do, but you can’t inspire yourself to do it. Once you find your true inspiration, the sky is the limit. You stop making excuses and start figuring out how to make it happen.
Most people start out trying to figure out What they are going to do with their life, or How they’re going to do it, without giving much thought to the Why. I believe the Why is infinitely more important than the What or the How. The Why will carry you through when you don’t feel like doing it.
So, what does all of this mean? First, you need to find your Inspiration. If you already have it, congratulations.
But if not, start looking for it today. Answer these questions:
What inspires you? What lifts you up? Is it a quote, a song, a movie, a book, a poem, a religious text, or another person? Is it a YouTube video? There is no shortage of inspirational material out there, but only you can determine what truly inspires you.
When was the last time you were truly inspired? When was the last time you remember having laser-like focus toward a goal that you wanted to accomplish? How can you reclaim that fire?
If this is difficult for you, focus on your Why.
Why do you feel the need to make a change in your life?
What would get you so fired up that you would jump out of bed every morning, not because you had to, but because you wanted to?
Until you find your Inspiration, you’re going to struggle with Motivation, and I firmly believe you will also have a very difficult time making any kind of significant impact in your life.
I want to know what inspires you. Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
What inspires you, how did you find it, and how are you using it to make an impact in your life?
Feel free to share your ideas about Inspiration. Remember, this is my opinion, so it’s ok to disagree with me. Let’s learn from each other.
Start making an IMPACT today so you can lead a Full Life.