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.

Consistency and persistence are qualities most people are not born with. You have to develop these traits, especially if you want to master a skill that gives you a sustained advantage. We are all emotional creatures and that unfortunately means we experience just as many downs as we do ups. In fact we might experience more downs than ups, depending on our circumstances and genetic makeup. But it's truly our mindset that sets us apart from one another.

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.

Unfortunately, during times when the opposite is true: we can't get a good night's rest, we have negative relationships that drain us, and we're feeling sluggish - well, these are the moments in our lives when this negativity will express itself in our results as well. Sometimes it may feel like, "what's the point?" or, "this is a waste of time". It's very hard to push through when everything around us seems so bleak.

One of the most important keys to success in life and in your schooling is to learn how to turn short term action into sustained long term repeated actions. We all know that to achieve big things you need to drill things down into the steps necessary to get there. When you know your big picture and you have a road map, the formula to reach your destination is just one step per day. How do you get from one side of the country to the other side? Simple - one mile at a time. Don't you? You have a big picture goal and lots of little achievements are necessary to get there. You don't take one step and all of a sudden you've made it! Sustained action executing the right techniques, which follow the right strategy, leads you to achieving your vision. The only remaining roadblock to your success is you.

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 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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