Are you inspired or motivated?

PDF | Print | E-mail

Thursday, 02 September 2010 14:24

User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

What motivates you?

What inspires you?

Is there a difference between the words?

For me as an athlete and person, there is a subtle difference.

When I read the word 'inspire', the first syllable tugs at me, winking and asking me to 'Please, please notice me' in a shy, unassuming and humble way!

The In of Inspire tells me its Inside or Internal:

That I am Inspired by the Inside of Me and what come from withIN.

It never drives me, pushes me, forces me or hurts me.

No, its more subtle and more powerful than that.

It emerges like a creation from inside me; it guides me, transports me and makes me fly. Everyday like an artist or songwriter, a new creation is born. Each Training Day is about my Next creation or a completion of a current piece.

The second syllable is about upward motion. A spire is usually associated with a church and points upwards at the heavens.

A holy place. So, to me, Inspire means: Moving and being In a Holy place, not because I ''want to'' but because '' I am''(in a sacred place). My training is that sacred place. When I train I am inspired, knowing I am capable.

Motivation, to me, is like a distant relative we see at the major family gatherings, weddings, funerals, anniversaries or like the school reunion...to check in and see what you have been up to.

Sometimes, Motivation seems like that person at the reunion who helps us feel we ''really need to do something with our lives because it seems “ we ain't done nutting’ yet and everyone else has''.

It's almost a bit like Jiminy Cricket in military attire.

It doesn't mean to be, but for me it often is.

Motivation reminds us of what we ''should be doing''. and sometimes we get caught like fish in trawler nets in all these ''shoulds''.

Motivation does drive us and does move us so that is not to be nasty about it or to say it has no value. Sometimes we need that motivation to start the momentum.

Being inspired, for me, is more a journey from the Self through the Self and is not dependent on outcomes or rewards. I am already enough as I am.