Inspiration and motivation are not the same things. There is an argument that they are quite the opposite from one another. Inspiration is a strong desire to create, to reach out and make something or do something that never existed before. Motivation is a general willingness or the reason for an action.
What’s the difference? It’s all in how we express it. Motivated people charge forward, not letting anyone stop them or interfere with their process. Inspiration, on the other hand, pulls others in your wake and drags them along. With motivation, you grab the vision and run with it. With inspiration, the idea grabs hold of you.
“Opportunities don't happen, you create them.â€
Have you ever had an inspiration? You can probably remember every detail, the time it hit, the idea behind it, the way it felt. With motivation, that comes and goes and maybe you remember the project that came from it, but not in the fine detail that inspiration leaves on you.
And that is probably the most significant difference. Motivation wears out. Often it runs out long before the project is over. Inspiration can last a lifetime and take you to new horizons you’d never thought of before.
“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.â€
Motivation is like the coach that yells about “getting up,†“hitting harder,†“running faster.†It’s the push that we need to get over the initial slump or over that midpoint. Inspiration doesn’t need a push or a press. Inspiration is more like finding a new perspective, a fresh eye where you’ve never known existed.
You cannot teach inspiration; it can’t be passed on from one person to another. Inspiration comes indirectly, stealing into our thoughts when we don’t expect it when we’re clear-headed and often concentrating on something else.
Motivation is the drive to bring creation to reality, to finish the project, but inspiration is the birth of creativity. Inspiration can be a life-changing event that completely realigns your perspective on a permanent basis.
Motivation is independent of passion. Motivation is often a replacement for passion; inspiration is passion at its most raw. Inspiration is an idea, a vision that takes hold and never lets go. People who are inspired are more likely to succeed, more likely to influence others.
“Change is never a matter of ability. It’s a matter of motivation and drive.â€
Being motivated to a task typically does not motivate another. Being inspired, on the other hand, is contagious. Inspired people catch others in their passion and create inspiration in them.
It’s easy to get caught up in a dream and then dream your vision, making inspiration the more valuable of the two.
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