Can I become more inspired?

“Inspiration propels a person from apathy to possibility and transforms the way we perceive our own capabilities” — Scott Barry Kaufman

Definition of Inspiration

The term ‘inspiration’ simply refers to an influencing or arousing process that stimulates people mentally and emotionally, to do something creative or extraordinary. When someone really wants to do something different, the desire of doing it comes from within. The urge is based on the value system, beliefs, life experiences, preferences imaginations, aspirations and similar other sense that makes us feel better if we do or achieve it.

In inspiration, you truly want something for which you have an enduring desire to achieve it, you are continually interested and committed to having it, yo make time for it and makes it your priority. It is a spontaneous impulse.

Dictionary.com defines feeling inspired as feeling “aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or as if by supernatural or divine influence”. Inspiration can feel as though an idea has come into sharp focus, like being taken by a purpose. It is often characterized as something mystical, in much the same way as creativity. But, luckily, it is not beyond the scope of scientific scrutiny.

A Scientific Definition

Psychologists Thrash and Elliot have studied the subject of inspiration in depth, and discovered that it can be both powerful and motivational. They’ve even created an Inspiration Scale to measure it. Thrash and Elliot describe inspiration as being constructed of three main qualities: evocation, transcendence, and approach motivation. What does that really mean?

Evocation

Inspiration occurs spontaneously, without intention. So it’s likely to feel like something that happens to you, rather than something that you choose or plan to experience.

Transcendence

Transcendence is the experience of something that is beyond usual, everyday occurrences. When inspired, you may feel in awe and connected to a powerful source of energy. You may have a sense of certainty and clarity about things, and suddenly become aware of new possibilities.

Approach Motivation

Inspiration is likely to cause you to take some purposeful action and motivate you to create or do something new. It can open you up to the possibility of achieving something you had previously thought of as unlikely or impossible, and transform your perception of your own capabilities.

The Benefits of Inspiration

There is evidence to show that, in addition to helping us achieve new goals, inspiration is also good for our general well-being. It can increase feelings of gratitude and appreciation, lift our mood, and provide us with a heightened sense of purpose.

The Impossible Can Seem Possible

Being inspired can help us extend our self-limitations and provide us with a new reference point of what is possible. For instance, Roger Bannister was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes; he achieved this at a time when it was generally accepted that the human body was incapable of such a feat. He not only inspired other athletes to raise their expectations, but helped people in general realize how our beliefs can hold us back or spur us on to success.

The difference between motivation and inspiration can be clearly understood by referring to the following points:

Difference Between Motivation and Inspiration

1. Motivation refers to a process of stimulating someone to act in a definite way to achieve a goal. Inspiration is defined as an act of influencing people mentally and emotionally to do something creative.
2. Motivation is something that impels or persuades you to take an action, whereas inspiration is what pulls you towards something.
3. There is a sense of resistance and competitiveness in motivation while inspiration has a sense of excitement and effortlessness.
4. Motivation is short lived, i.e. suppose you attend a seminar of a great personality, after which you feel excited to do something, but after a specific period of a couple of weeks or days then the urge will start declining. On the other hand, inspiration is enduring in nature, that resides in us and makes us committed until we attain the goal.
5. Motivation comes from an external source which can be your reward, recognition, appreciation, etc. Although the source of inspiration is internal, a deep desire which emerges inside us.
6. Motivation is a deliberate or planned instinct to take a step. Conversely, in the case of inspiration, that impulse is spontaneous.
7. Motivation is due to several reasons like self-imposed or societal expectations, obligations and peer pressure that push us to do something. Unlike inspiration which involves a natural and organic call from deep within us.

Inspiration can be thought of in two ways. The first is trait inspiration, or how often, and how strongly, does a person tend to feel inspiration? The researchers found that the propensity to be inspired is a psychological disposition or ability that varies from person to person. In a study using the Inspiration Scale, there was a strong relationship between individuals’ initial scores and their scores 7.5 weeks later, an indication that the scale measures a trait that is stable across time. Further, higher scores on the Inspiration Scale are related to the kinds of real world outcomes that would be expected of more inspired individuals. For example, patent holders scored higher than those who do not hold patents. And a separate study found that college students’ scores on the Inspiration Scale predicted how successful they would be at achieving their goals over the course of the next semester.4

A second way to look at inspiration is state inspiration, or how inspired are you feeling in this moment? It may not be surprising that writers who are in a state of inspiration tend to produce writing samples that are rated as more creative.5 But not just in traditionally creative disciplines: this was true of poetry and fiction, but also scientific writing. Interestingly, the effects of inspiration and those of effort are different. Inspired writers wrote more creative work, but their products were not judged to have superior technical merit. In contrast, writers who exerted more effort had better technical merit and rhyming in poems, but their work was not rated more creative. Inspired writers were also more productive: they spent less time pausing and more time writing.

So, where does the research leave those of us who want to feel more inspiration? What can we do in those moments when we do fail to experience sublime transcendence? For when we are not swept away in august purpose, roused and enlivened to achieve beautiful, magical things? For those times when our pizza is less than supreme?

First, although there is some evidence for stable levels of trait inspiration that vary between individuals, that does not necessarily mean that people are destined to experience a set amount of inspiration. Thrash and Elliot’s study took place over a time span of only 7½ weeks, so it remains open whether trait inspiration is malleable over the lifespan.

Further, there is also variability within individuals in the level of state inspiration at any given time. The researchers think of inspiration as something that strikes us, or just happens, rather than something that we will ourselves into, but they also stress that inspiration seems to come from a particular source or “trigger”.6 The trigger might be an inspiring role model, art, nature, or an idea formed unconsciously. Thus, it may be more helpful to focus on creating the conditions of inspiration rather than trying to will ourselves into feeling it. For example, we can put ourselves in situations that elicit feelings of elevation, awe, or admiration by interacting with inspiring colleagues, visiting the ocean, or listening to a powerful song. (Similarly, evidence suggests that if you want to change your behavior to achieve a goal, it can be more effective to alter your environment to support the goal than try to force yourself to enact a change through willpower alone.)7

Thrash & Elliot examined what other experiences predicted instances of trait inspiration. They found that people were more likely to experience inspiration following days in which they experienced higher-than-average positive emotions like positive affect (the subjective experience of positive mood), optimism, and self-esteem. Although this doesn’t prove that positive experiences directly cause inspiration, the authors suggested that positivity might facilitate exposure to sources of inspiration. Other antecedents of inspiration included experiences of work mastery (the desire to master something), creativity, and openness to experience (feeling open to a new idea, behavior or feeling). Thrash and Elliot suggested that these antecedents may further reflect the tendency of inspiration to stem from evocative triggers. Thus, receptiveness is important. Active engagement with ideas and responsiveness to their influence may encourage inspiration.

Finally, inspiration may not only lead people to achieve more progress on their goals, but progress towards goals could also help reinforce inspiration.8 Goal progress early on in a semester predicted the amount of inspiration college students felt towards their goals later on in the semester. Thus, inspiration and goal progress might create a reinforcing cycle. Setting small, concrete, achievable goals (and then meeting one or two attainable steps!) might help rouse you to even greater possibilities.