Inspired people initiate change. Because inspiration is the spark of motivation, it is the breath of the muses that awaken dreams and enthusiasm and also that engine that should never be missing to achieve goals.
Last update: 24 March, 2022
In a world obsessed with attributing value on the basis of education, skills and competences, an exceptional dimension is often overlooked: the power of inspiration.
It would be interesting if we all evaluated this element a little more, this channel full of possibilities that allows us to become passionate, grow, broaden perspectives and turn on the engine of motivation.
When you ask a person what inspires him, not everyone has an answer. On the other hand, there are those who claim to be inspired by their partner, children, family; certainly an excellent answer, but we can and must go a little further. The ideal would be to find a new source of inspiration every day.
A book or a new song; a landscape suspended in a magical sunset; get to know someone and be amazed with his speeches, with his stimulating ideas; a TED conference; a state-of-the-art building; Playing sports.
We could give a hundred or a thousand examples of dimensions, events and circumstances capable of awakening the inspiring muses, those who whisper revolutionary ideas, goals and dreams to come true.
Beyond what we can think of, feeling inspired every day is a way to invest in psychological well-being. Let's see why.
“When your Daemon stands up, don't try to think consciously. He wanders adrift, wait and obey. "
-Rudyard Kipling-
The power of inspiration: why is it important in our life?
Each of us has the power of inspiration within us. However, and here comes the problem, not all of us use it.
The reason? Feeling inspired is basically an emotional and mental state which requires a certain balance, a certain inner calm.
A stressed or anxious mind is rarely able to look at anything and feel genuine curiosity, pleasure, inspiration and enthusiasm.
A calm mind is much more receptive and this is how the seed of inspiration is born and we allow the Daimon of Greek mythology to visit us.
This last concept, the daimon, was a term widely used in philosophy, and Carl Jung himself spoke of it calling it our creative genius; a force capable of guiding us towards our destiny.
Jung also argued that in order for the Daimon to emerge, we must listen to our heart, prioritizing emotions and intuition.
That is why stress, haste, pressure and worries, extremely common factors today, they leave no room or entrance to that ancestral genius present in so many cultures.
The power of inspiration can improve your life
The power of inspiration is a concept extensively studied by psychologists Todd M. Thrash and Andrew J. Elliot.
Research works such as the one carried out in 2003 define it as an extremely relevant psychological construct for our well-being. The reasons for this are the following:
- Inspiration delivers a moment of lucidity about something that catches our interest and our motivation. At the same time, consciousness expands into new possibilities. Not only are we prepared to do something, but we feel excited about making it happen.
- Ggenerates what is known as motivation to concentrate. We refer to that state in which the person knows what he wants to achieve or what has aroused his interest; it focuses on something concrete, on a vision.
People who use inspiration in their daily life are different
Psychologists Thrash and Elliot explain in their work that the people who make constant use of the power of inspiration share some common characteristics. To rate them, they even defined a scale to measure inspiration.
We therefore present factors, behaviors and personality traits that define who is used to applying this psychological construct:
- Openness to experience. That is to say, they are men and women who interact with the environment, who relate, who love to experiment, learn, feel.
- Inspiration does not always come while we are relaxed and almost motionless on the sofa, waiting for the arrival of the muses. It comes with movement, with work, with that daily activity where everything flows and we are part of every stimulus, every voice, sensation and image.
- Le people who use inspiration have an intrinsic motivation. This means that they are not driven by rewards, they expect nothing in return for their efforts. Just being excited and generating change through inspiration is meant to be the greatest benefit.
Conclusions
Drs Thrash and Elliot pointed out that if we cultivate the power of inspiration, the mind becomes stronger. This amounts to further developing creativity, attention, reflection, the ability to achieve goals and self-competence.
All this affects emotional well-being. The self-esteem muscle is strengthened, and with it everything goes well, we feel more positive, ready and able to transform our reality. And it's a wonderful feeling.
