The feeling that someone, whether it’s a friend or an influential person, touches a button in you, making you take action, is the most powerful form of inspiration.
It means that you are an open person and probably a very creative one. It’s a real power to see talent and vision in other people and to be moved to apply it to yourself.
The moment you don’t feel jealousy at the abilities of others but instead become inspired by someone, you are free.
Being free means that you are not hindered by others but rather uplifted by them. Not everyone has this, really. What a shame it is because, by doing so, they close the door to all the potential inspiration that others could have given them.
The Power of Influence
Your environment will always have an influence on you, whether positive or negative. Then ask yourself:
- If people I know are flourishing and doing something that works, how do I react to that?
Do you respond with enthusiasm, or do you hold up a mirror in which you measure someone else’s success against your own? This is an important matter because finding health, success, and a good mood are strongly related to how you view other people and how this affects you.
Do you secretly look with jealousy at your friends who have a higher salary than you? Not that you have to be inspired by someone only because of a higher salary, but it does say a lot about whether you have opened the door for others to influence you. Not to change you, but to touch you.
Recognizing the power in others: A Must for Success
It is important to have an example, especially if you have big dreams. Suppose you want to write a bestselling book or have a specific job. Then look at the people who have gone before you.
Seek contact with the person who inspired you
This is one of the most powerful things to do. You might think you won’t get a response from that famous person, but it’s worth trying.
Every person loves to hear how their life has had a positive influence on others.
By doing this, you confirm a positive aspect of that person and empower yourself by letting them know.
Instead of comparing yourself to that person, which you unconsciously do anyway, it is much better to see someone as an example. That person is evidently doing something that inspires you to:
- Take action yourself
- bring about change in your life
- adopt a new way of thinking
- Make an important choice/decision
Inspiration + Action Leads to fullfilment
Yes, having even a moment of inspiration can lead to a breakthrough in success. Sometimes this happens when you see something or when someone tells you something. A sudden spark occurs, and you become enthusiastic.
Like in this writer’s story:
A writer who was deeply inspired by their parents is Harper Lee, and the inspiration she drew from her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, had a profound effect on her success as a writer.
Harper Lee’s father, Amasa Lee, was a lawyer and newspaper editor in Monroeville, Alabama. He instilled in Harper a love for literature and encouraged her to read widely from a young age.
He also defended two African-American men accused of murder, which had a lasting impact on Harper Lee and influenced her views on racial injustice.
Inspiration from her father’s commitment to justice and his influence on her literary interests played a pivotal role in Harper Lee’s writing. It led her to write her seminal novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
The novel she wrote went on to become a classic of American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize.
How We Are Connected by Inspiration
Imagine you have a GOOD idea. This means several things: 1. You are convinced that it’s a good idea and has a high chance of success. 2. The idea has arisen from an inspiration process. 3. This inspiration can often be traced back to the work of others.
Unconsciously, you combine the interesting things you’ve seen with your own personal preferences and taste. This is the recipe for forming your own idea that stems from inspiration.
Every generation provides the ‘spark’ that sets the ideas of the next generation in motion.
Of course, not everything comes solely from what we as humans do. When the wheel was invented, it probably happened because people could roll a naturally round shape, like a log. Voila. Nature can also serve as a source of inspiration.
But almost everything is a product of what others have created before us. This applies to literature, music, technology, and art.
Even the way you interact with others can be partly traced back to what you have adopted from people who inspired you with their behavior.
The key to lasting productivity >
Inspiration > Motivation > Action
Having an idea, for example, of how to achieve a healthier body doesn’t actually mean much yet. After inspiration, motivation to actually do it almost always follows. However, this ‘feeling’ fades away quickly for most people because motivation is nothing more than a feeling.
What you need to take action on is determination. How do you know if you have this? You make time for what you want to achieve and stay focused on the long term.
The inspiration others provide you with is also long-term. Someone’s life’s work or lifestyle is only valuable if it is maintained for years, if not decades. This persistence ultimately becomes a great source of inspiration for others.
You are an inspiration to others without even realizing it.
When you feel good about yourself and exude uniqueness, you are an inspiration to others without even realizing it.
Simple things like maintaining a healthy body or lifestyle can be a wake-up call for many or even serve as an example.
The secret to being an example for others is having the courage to not care about what others think.
Inspiration is personal
Of course, every person is a unique being with their own wishes and preferences. Everyone’s creativity and emotional expression are different, which sometimes makes it difficult for us to understand each other.
This is precisely the beauty of it—that we are not all inspired by the same person to take action. It would be strange if every artist was inspired by only one painting. Your taste, cultural background, and upbringing shape your character, which is uniquely influenced by your environment.
How to let others inspire you:
Not everyone will inspire you, and that’s why it’s unpredictable. As a five-year-old, you might watch a movie once, and your imagination will immediately run wild. The desire to ‘become something’ as a child comes from somewhere.
But as you get older, that fantasy often loses its value, and we tend to focus more on facts and the right ways to structure our lives. That’s why it’s extra inspiring to hear someone who still allows that fantasy and leads a life that you secretly long for.
- It can be as simple as watching interviews with influential people who resonate with you to some extent. How do they live? And how do they use their creativity?
Inspiration can also work in the wrong direction
While inspiration has a positive connotation that we associate with ideas and innovations, it can also have a negative effect. A person with the wrong motive can also be inspired to do the most terrible things.
A wrong motive or desire can also be inspired to do wrong.
Think of absolute positions of power that seek violence or manipulate others to get their way. For someone who cannot distinguish this from what is good, they also become inspired by individuals who are already engaged in such actions.
Final Thoughts
It is a strength not to look at people with jealousy but to draw inspiration from them instead. This can be a challenge because it reminds you of where you currently stand in your life.
The only way to bring about change in this regard is not to become bitter but to become better and learn from others.
