Motivation Vs Inspiration: Why We Need Both To Have Success

By Lachlan Haynes


We have all heard the saying, "Actions speak louder than words". But what does it really mean? We know that it is important to take action if you want to achieve your dreams and success. Often, a short term action is taken and the person attempts to continue to just use their words to carry them through. But words alone are not enough - it's action that truly matters. And long term success is about getting in the mindset to achieve sustained long term action.

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.

We have all felt what it is like to get that sudden rush of motivation and turn that feeling into energy. This influx of motivation and energy can develop into great progress toward our goal or action, but the problem with that rush is that it's usually fleeting. Motivation is like a sound wave; it flows up and drops down, often in line with our emotions. When we are feeling happy we are more likely to have the energy to follow through, but when we are facing setbacks and feeling down, that energy is suddenly sucked away. This intrusion of varying emotions can impact our motivation and therefore 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.

If however the opposite occurs and you're feeling stressed, hungry, tired, unhealthy and socially outcast then you're likely to feel pretty low. Worse still, if you start getting poor grades or negative feedback, it's likely that your emotional state will depress and you'll feel like giving up. That's only natural isn't it? It's pretty hard to feel good about these things!

The good news is that this ability to push through until the negativity subsides is a completely learn-able trait. The most important thing to learn is how to transform those short bursts of activity and motivation into prolonged, repeated action. It's pretty obvious that to accomplish lofty goals, we must compartmentalize our action into smaller steps. So, if you know where you want to be in the big picture, creating a step-by-step directional map will help you devote each day to getting one step closer to that larger goal. If you wanted to climb Mt. Everest, we'd have to begin at the bottom, one sometimes grueling step at a time, wouldn't we? Small, measured movements over an extended period of time would eventually get you to the top. Unless you have super-human powers, no one is going to just speed up to the top in one impressive leap! Prolonged action, repeating the appropriate movements toward smart and strategic goals will find you achieving your goals in no time! Don't let yourself get in your way - because you're the only thing that can stop you.

Enter inspiration, your spiritual guide. While motivation can come in bursts, be harnessed, and become sustained, inspiration comes from some place deeper inside of you. It is something greater and more powerful than you; and it lives inside of each one of us. You can find your inspiration with your desire for change. While motivation is a very powerful tool, it is often tied to a time frame or certain circumstances. It is more of a physical presence rather than an internal entity.

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 your time. You can create the dreams that you desire for yourself and make them into a reality. You can do things you have never considered or thought possible before. You can get into the college of your choice and get the job you have always wanted. You can create something that could help thousands or even millions of people around the world. These dreams require you, your motivation, and your inspiration. They require your sustained long term action with just one step at a time. No matter your current circumstance, you can change it! Only you have that power. Your potential is limitless. What you want and what you believe in is all that truly matters. The only thing you have left to do is ask yourself, what do you believe is possible?




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