Although this is a religious book, there is one idea in which I have taken great interest and from which I believe everyone can learn. I came across a topic in this book that I can relate to my own life.
Feeling inspired is one of the best feelings- the notion that anything is possible if we put ourselves out there, the excitement felt about starting something new, having someone help us believe that our dreams are possible to reach...
Unfortunately, however, inspiration doesn't always last as long as we would like. We forget the feeling, we forget the emotions felt at the point of inspiration... and slowly but surely this driving force begins to disappear. When we lack these constant thrills, we become discouraged.
Tatz goes over 3 stages of the human experience. They are as such:
1st stage: easy- this is the period of our lives when we are young and ignorant. The whole world seems like a canvas on which we can paint any artwork we desire. Because we are so naive, everything seems simply attainable. All options are on the table. Our daydreams could so easily become a reality. This is artificial.
2nd: must develop and act. This is the majority of our lifetime- we are working, developing, planning, initiating, struggling, praying and wishing. This is when it is time to get down and dirty. Things are not as simple as we initially thought. We realize that everything takes hard work and rarely will plans actually work out as simply as we thought they would. The challenge and goal are to remember the inspiration we once felt and to use that inspiration as the impetus to grow.
3rd: reap the rewards of our hard work (hopefully we get to this stage)!
What I want to discuss is how we can use the very lack of inspiration (the problem) for personal growth (the solution). Using the problem to solve the solution? Yup, exactly that. The problem is the solution.
How so?
Having to work for inspiration prevents apathy. When inspiration is removed, we must achieve it on our own. Through this hard work, we come to develop ourselves and grow internally as human beings. If we had all the inspiration we needed, life would be mundane and success would not be as rewarding. It's like an idea I heard someone share earlier this weekend: climbing the mountain makes skiing down it all the more exciting and rewarding, than if one were to simply take the lift up the mountain. The time and energy we invest in something are directly correlated to the appreciation and joy we reap from the resulting positive experience.
Basically, we are supposed to work towards inspiration though hard work because this will help us to develop ourselves. Ultimately, we will be able to attain our best selves.
Some of you may be thinking: "I don't have any inspiration coming from anywhere. How could this possibly be a good thing? If I had at least some motivation, perhaps I would be a lot happier with myself."
Now imagine for a moment that you do the exact thing you lack the inspiration to do. What if you worked for that inspiration by trying to motivate yourself, setting goals and standards, and by simply putting in the effort? Wouldn't that be an incredible feeling? YES, it would be and that is exactly what the goal is- stage 3- reaping the rewards- feeling successful and having pride in the hard work you invested.
The point of this post is to change viewpoints on the idea of being inspired. Instead of being disappointed, bored, discouraged, unmotivated, and making excuses.... use the fact that there is no inspiration as the reason why you should attain it. Understand that the lack of inspiration is exactly what will help you to achieve ultimate greatness and pride in oneself. Don't look at it as a bad thing, but rather as an impetus to try and achieve inspiration. This will ultimately lead to personal growth and development on the most rewarding level.