I once recall, many years ago, watching Julie Moss crawl across the finish line at the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. It was an awe-inspiring moment for me. Here was a person who's body had failed her but her will to continue, to endure and to ultimately finish one of the most grueling races in the world was compelling. (Julie who?..Just Google it..).
I remember trying to get my mind around how someone could swim almost two and a half miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon of 26.2 miles, all in one day. It seemed unbelievable and a bit insane. But even more compelling was how this woman, after all those grueling miles in the hot Hawaiian sun, could push herself, on hands and knees, across the finish line. For her, quitting was not an option. How did she get there? Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually.... how did she manage to bring herself to a point where she could overcome ALL of those obstacles in order to complete that race? Whatever the reasons, I can say with great conviction that I was truly inspired that day. Could I ever do such a thing? Is it within me to take on and complete such a challenge? Do I even have an ounce of the intestinal fortitude to have that kind of commitment to do ANY THING?
So, yes, that was a moment of inspiration for me. But what is inspiration? And for that matter, what's motivation? We hear those words interchangeably, but I'm here to tell you they have very different meanings. I would bet that most of us have experienced inspirational moments far more times than ever being motivated. And the simple reason for that is inspiration is something we experience. Motivation is something we create.
Inspiration brings about an idea, an awareness of who you might be. We can be inspired to get in shape, to seek further education, to be a better parent, a better friend, a more compassionate person. I see inspiration as that light bulb that pops off in our heads and hearts, an epiphany of a new fork in the road of life that points us down a path of greater personal achievement. Let me be more specific, greater "potential" for personal achievement. Inspiration by itself won't get you to where you want to be. It really is only an awareness that there's a new path before you. It's a catalyst for action. In the case of Julie Moss, I was inspired to look at my own perceived physical and mental limitations and make a decision on how I would go about determining my boundaries. I thought it would be cool to get into running and triathlons and to see how far I could go in those respective sports. That's all well and good when you're lounging about, fantasizing about great achievement. But once you've made that commitment to yourself to pursue that goal, what gets you to actually do it? In the case of becoming a marathon runner, what is it that would get me out of bed at 4:00 in the morning to go pound the pavement? It certainly wasn't inspiration. So how do I get there from here?
Motivation!
Motivation is the workhorse. It's the time card puncher. It's the roll up your sleeves, get busy, make it happen part of ourselves that takes us from where we are to where we want to be. Julie Moss inspired me to do triathlons. I motivated me to get out of bed at 4:00 in the morning to swim, bike and run. Your retired neighbor who went back to school to earn their degree may have inspired you to do likewise. But it's your own personal motivation, your burning desire and commitment to that goal that gets you to visit that campus and register for class. But beware, motivation is not easy. In fact it's damn hard. Achieving and sustaining motivation can be like riding a bike, up hill, in the wind. Motivation is the thing you need to find to combat the demons in your head. The ones that try to convince you to stop and give up on your goals. Those are the voices that tell you you're not good enough, that you can take it easy on the next lap, that you don't need to study that much. They're small voices and they try to get you to give up on the seemingly little things in hopes that over time you'll just give up completely. Call it the devil, call it what you will but what ever it is, it's trying to get you to fail. Motivation gets you through that. Reminding yourself why you're doing what you're doing, what it means to you to actually accomplish what you set out to do, that's motivation and that's where your strength lies. Keep it clear and sharp in your mind, especially during the tough times. Because the result WILL be your success.
Remember, inspiration and motivation are not interchangeable. They are interdependent. Like Responsibility and Authority (there will be another blog on that one..), you can't have one without the other. And one can't survive without the other. And true success depends on the harmony of both...
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