Which Comes First - Inspiration or Initiative?

Do you start moving when you get inspired, or do you get inspired because you started moving? For me, the answer would have to be, “Yes!”

Is Inspiration Necessary?

Why move if we’re not inspired? Let’s do whatever it is with our best energy and our best effort. Let’s adopt an ownership mindset and never give up. If we wait until we’re inspired, we save ourselves a lot of energy. We fail less often. We avoid America’s Funniest Videos. Life seems easier.

When Should Initiative Kick In?

Sometimes the inspiration comes, but the initiative never connects. We never put forth the effort to achieve our dreams. Be careful of this condition. We naturally atrophy. As I age, I want to watch to make sure I remain engaged. Sometimes you have to exercise your initiative to keep it in good working order. As a rule, I want my default mistakes to be mistakes of action rather than inaction. I choose to screw up in gear rather than miss the action.

Worst Case Scenario

Sometimes initiative happens, but inspiration seems far off. In this situation, we experience the temptation to quit. Our times get dry. Often the excitement and the energy for an effort fail to appear when we thought they would. We can find ourselves in a dry and lonely place when this happens.

Remember why you started. Can you make an adjustment? What activities have sucked up your time? Or is the goal no longer attractive to you? If the goal has lost its luster, maybe you need to make a change. Maybe you need to abandon the goal. Examine things objectively, but don’t just quit. Choose another goal. Keep moving.

Working in Tandem

While looking for inspiration first seems easier, when we move first, we adjust easier. You can’t steer a parked car, and (Harrier Jump Jet’s aside) an airplane needs to be moving to take off. But don’t waste movement. Aim for your best objective, your highest goal. When everything connects, inspiration and initiative show up at the same time.

We’re inspired as we take initiative and we become cynical and lazy if we never move. Keep moving toward your best goals and watch for the inspiration. Or, if you’re already inspired, get to work. Either way, you can’t take off unless you’re moving!