Why You Should Choose Inspiration Over Motivation
Dan LeFave
Founder, 10x Operating System | Data-Driven Coaching for Simplified Scaling & Strategic Growth | Empowering CEOs and Dentists | 2x Author
Why You Should Choose Inspiration Over Motivation
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.
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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.�
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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2 å¹´Wow Dan! I read your article on the differences between inspiration and motivation. So spot on! After reading your client's story, I knew I had to write the post below. I would love to speak with you, and soon!
I Transform Your Customers' Experiences into Their Awe and Wonder Moments, and Employees into Awe and Wonder Excavators
2 å¹´What inspired him? What was his inspiration story? Would love to hear how you supported him in claiming his inspiration. I see the actions and measurements that he did with your help, but it feels like any other coaching process, but I do not think it was, because it appeared to be what other coaches would do. I do not think you are like any other coach, especially when you speak about the difference in motivation and inspiration. You are so right about inspiration! I almost jumped out of my chair! I can tell you the moments of inspiration in childhood and that moment sitting in a seminar that my manager forced me to attend. I decided I would go but would not engage or listen. By the end of that seminar, I was in tears. That was in 1976! I will never forget what opened in me which was not about setting a goal, but the truth of what I was called to do, based on what had always moved me, but for which I did not know what to do: I was in kindergarten! I hope to hear some stories of moments of inspiration that people you work with now know. It really is the mountain that called to me back then, then reappeared as I listened to the seminar leader tell my story. I would love to hear your clients Bigger Story!
Award-winning Communication & Storytelling Coach, Trainer & Speaker | Igniting clear + compelling communication | Official Member Forbes Coaches Council | Top Expert in Executive Communication | 4.9/5 rating
2 å¹´Love this: "With motivation, you grab the vision and run with it. With inspiration, the idea grabs hold of you." I'll start looking more for the latter in my life for an easier ride! ??
B2B Content Marketer for EV Stakeholders. Certified Content Specialist - White Paper Specialist - AI aided, human approved content.
2 å¹´Pretty darn good newsletter here. Time to rattle the cage, live at the edge of comfort zone and inspire the world. Good stuff, Dan LeFave
AI Without Burnout | Mindset Optimization Strategist, Public Speaker, Top 1% Podcast Host & Amazon Best Selling Author of MINDSET ZONE
2 å¹´Dan LeFave - love your nuance differentiation between motivation and inspiration!