To Be Inspired or To Be Motivated?
Inspiration and motivation are often treated as one and the same, interchangeably. But are they though? Spoiler alert, they're not and that's exactly what we will talk about here. If you're going, "They are not?!", no, really, they are not. Take a walk with me, and let me explain why they are not.
"Inspiration" and "Motivation" will come up as synonyms for each other in the thesaurus. But what do they actually mean?
"Inspiration" means "someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something".
"Motivation" means "enthusiasm for doing something".
"Inspiration" comes from the words "In spirit" while "motivation" comes from the word "motive".
"Motivation" is the reason you do something while "inspiration" is an idea, an abstract concept that makes you want to do something. Maybe it's for this reason that inspiration is often directed at people in creative fields, and motivation is directed at people in fields perceived as not creative. But this couldn't be further from the original interpretation of the words. Motivation is what gives you the push to do something while inspiration pulls you to what you should be doing in life. Inspiration is for everyone. It's what feeds our soul. It gives us meaning in life, a purpose and a sense of direction.
To fully understand the difference, let's take a look at motivation first. If you want to do something, you can always motivate yourself to do so. You can watch a movie, read a quote or travel to motivate yourself. But after a certain point, you're going to resent what you are doing. Because, chances are, if you are motivating yourself to do something, it's because you feel compelled to do so. Something in you is resisting what you want to do, what you think you should be doing, and you look to motivate yourself to overcome that and achieve your end goals. And once you have gained your reward, your end goal, that motivation will be depleted. You are going to have to tap into another source for motivation for another goal.
On the other hand, when you are inspired to do something, you want to do it. And while you can motivate yourself to do something, you can't inspire yourself. You can be inspired by watching a movie, reading a quote or traveling, but it's spontaneous. It's not something you expect to happen, nor can you force it to. It's an intrinsic process, almost like a shift, in your thought process, resulting in a sense of excitement to pursue something. There is something magical about feeling inspired because you feel hopeful and optimistic about what to do next. You feel invincible to your challenges, and you are ready. You know this is it. But unlike motivation, when you are feeling low on inspiration, you can't tap into external resources to be inspired again. You have to look within, and reflect on what you need, and what you desire. You can seek inspiration, by constantly doing something, hoping it will inspire you again but you might risk confusing yourself motivation.
Let me make this a little clearer. I'm sure most of you have watched "The Greatest Showman" by now. There are two possible ways you felt after watching the movie - 1. motivated to live a colourful life. 2. inspired to live a colourful life. What is the difference? When you were "motivated" to live a colourful life, this may or may not have been what you have wanted all along. The movie made you feel like this is what you should be doing and you try to add colour to your life, in whatever form it means to you. But at some point, or when you get sick of the soundtrack, you are going to feel like this is not your path. That you just watched a great movie, but that life isn't for you. And you go back to what you have always been doing. If you were "inspired" to live a colourful life, you realise this is what you want. You feel it within you, you know this is your path. And so, maybe you head out and quit your dull job because you don't want to be cooped up anymore and you decide it's time to embrace your full creative life and you start writing. You are not going to go back and you know this is exactly the form of colourful life you have always wanted. What? No, I'm not talking about myself. I was already inspired when I launched this website, the movie just re-iterated my inspiration. I quit my job before I even knew this movie existed. Anyway, do you see the difference? One is, short-term, and the other, is long-term. One is more general and the other, is specific. Motivation is not sustainable, inspiration is. Motivation is universal, inspiration, is individualised.
Motivation, is a wildfire that can consume anyone and everyone in its way. It burns bright, and burns it strong, but much like a wildfire, lacks direction and meaning. Inspiration is a spark that lights within you, it illuminates your soul and turns you into a light. When you are inspired, you can inspire those around you or you can motivate those around you or maybe even both. And this is why we need both inspiration and motivation in our lives. Because the truth is, inspiration doesn't happen in every element of our lives. It's almost impossible to be honest. I mean, who is finding the inspiration to figure out how much tax you should be paying? When you combine both, you can have a nice campfire, with the innate qualities of a fire still intact while you figure out how much "fire" and what kind of fire you need, to see something through.
The fundamental goal in life is to be inspired. Hopefully, you can motivate yourself enough to see your inspiration through. Because being inspired, is what it means to be alive.
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