Inspiration is what ignites possibility
Image: Mantas Hesthaven
Today, a new client asked me whether I thought it was possible to reach the goal she was setting for herself.
Obviously, as a coach, I believe that possibility is always on the table. What matters, though, is not whether I think the goal is possible, but whether she does. But I had another question: What about this goal inspires you?
Turns out, she wasn’t very excited about this goal at all. It wasn’t inspiring to her as much as it was the next logical step in her planned out path. She thought she wanted it. But inspiring? Well, no.
Too often, inspiration doesn’t enter into the goal-setting equation. This can spell disaster, or at least a lot of stress, frustration and unmet expectations. And this was the case with my new client. So we made it our first order of business together to dismantle that goal and all of the uninspiring thinking behind it and rework it into something else entirely.
Inspiration is what pulls you forward when you don’t know if it’s possible to have, be or do what you think you want. It is the engine of what’s possible.
I’m going to get a little personal here, to illustrate my point. A dozen years ago, much of what my life looks like now did not necessarily feel possible to me.
I’m sure there are places where that is true for you, too.
I had outlines and sketches in mind, but they were limited by where I was standing at the time. As I began to apply life coaching concepts and ask myself what I really wanted — as I began to follow inspiration — I created visions that continue to pull me into new experiences and realities.
Mindset, learning opportunities, support and a willingness to apply the coaching all certainly help. But inspiration has always been the ‘make or break’ element. That's because it's easier in many ways to create what inspires you, even when you're unsure.
Here are a few things that I was inspired by along the way:
Letting go of a well-paying, ladder-climbing job for more creative work and eventually, more than a decade of self-employment
Thriving, not just surviving, through an incredibly difficult life transition period, including challenging myself to travel across the country solo and move to a new city
Meeting my partner on a hiking trail and marrying him on a faraway tropical island
Shifting from a vegetarian who never took school gym classes to an omnivore who enjoys hiking, yoga and strength training (and is stronger than ever)
Prioritizing a debt-free lifestyle so I have continual freedom in my work
Ignoring naysayers and designing my work life my way (which currently looks like portable work, a flexible schedule, plenty of time off, and all the bills paid)
Finding a home that looks almost exactly like a photo that I used to carry on my phone
I share this for three simple reasons:
What inspires me won’t necessarily inspire you. And vice versa.
Not only is this OK, it’s critical to understand and to fully integrate this into your thinking. Too many of us are out there chasing things we think we are supposed to want or getting distracted by lifestyles we see on social media (or worse, never even asking ourselves the question). Build a habit of asking yourself this: Am I setting this goal/pursuing this activity/focusing my energy on this because it inspires me? If not, why am I doing it?
We do not always know what’s possible.
Our ideas about whether we can get where we want to go are always going to be limited by our thoughts and our experience at the time. Those ideas are optional. They will evolve. Each time that you stand in a new place, with new experiences and perspectives to draw upon, you open up new possibilities. Follow what inspires you, find the inspiration in what you're doing and let that natural energy open the doors to what matters to you and what could be next.
Inspiration drives everything.
If you’re not inspired at some level by what you are doing — if there’s no pleasure and natural pull in it for you — you're more likely to get bogged down with anxiety and doubts, starts and stops, or employing various strategies to "motivate yourself" to do what you know you need to do. Inspiration is not a substitute for doing the work, but it sure makes the hard bits easier, more fun and more meaningful.
Let’s take a quick inventory.
Are you inspired by the future you’re working towards, personally and professionally?
What about the things you’re already doing and building on?
If not, it may be time to shake things up and find the inspiration hiding underneath (it is there somewhere, I promise you).
If you’re wondering what’s possible, ask first, what would inspire me?
When asking what’s next for you, begin with what inspires you right now and start investigating from there.
When setting goals, ditch anything that doesn’t inspire you and replace it with something that does.
What about your mindset? Your perspective? Is it inspiring you or holding you back?
Make this your practice and it will open up new possibilities, stretch you in powerful ways and lead you to more fun, more authenticity, more meaning, and more fulfillment. Get after it.
