The Importance of Inspiration

Inspiration is a necessary part of life. We sometimes minimize inspiration to smaller things like projects and tasks, like my lack of inspiration to write a blog for the past few weeks. Many people associate creativity with inspiration, but that is limiting its size and scope. Truly, there is so much more in life that requires inspiration.

Inspiration is “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something …” (per Oxford Languages Dictionary). That definition encompasses a great deal of weight surrounding our thoughts and actions in life. Inspiration is the gasoline that our metaphorical car needs to get going; it is our primary motivator in life!

But what happens when you lose inspiration? What happens when your inspiration fades from you? Most importantly, what can you do about it?

To be blunt, lack of inspiration is similar to depression … at least it was for me. When I had my most recent bout with a depressive episode, I truly felt the lack of inspiration in multiple facets in my life. It started with my job. I knew I hated my job and lacked inspiration, but unfortunately my mind decided to put out the light of inspiration for other things in my life as well. I stopped playing golf, stopped exercising, I lacked the desire to go out with friends or family; at one point I lacked the inspiration to even get out of bed. These were hallmark symptoms of depression.

To this day, I still do not understand how I got that bad with my lack of inspiration. Had I recognized the signs sooner, I would have acted on it. Perhaps it was my lack of inspiration for my job that should have set off the alarm bells, as it led to a catastrophic chain of events with my lack of inspiration bleeding into other aspects of my life.

A lack of inspiration in one facet of your life is potentially a deterrence to other sources of inspiration in your life as well. You may not experience symptoms of depression like I do (I sincerely hope you do not, as I would not wish that upon anybody), but I have noticed a trend amongst my friends and family that shows a decline in inspiration across the board. Just because you lack the inspiration at your job, does not mean your other facets of life are necessarily going to be unaffected.

What can you do about it? Look at it as an opportunity, not a problem. The light of inspiration is not meant to be shining forever. Use this opportunity to self-evaluate, and look for new opportunities to evoke inspiration. Whether that be finding a new role at work, finding a new outlet to express your creativity, or even finding new friends - they all lead to new sources of inspiration.

Do not let your lack of inspiration go unnoticed, but also do not view it in such a negative light. Use that opportunity to evolve and grow, and you may just be rewarded with being a happier person than you started out to be!