How can inspiration help you achieve your goals?
Inspiration is “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something” (Dictionary.com). Inspiration can be found in a variety of places including the words and actions of a person, nature, a song, and maybe from a movie. A goal can be related to a long-term commitment such as a habit you are trying to break or one you are trying to start. It might be something you have been thinking about for some time or something that has just come to mind. Regardless, as it relates to goals, inspiration can help in both goal development and goal achievement. Let me explain.
Inspiration can be a catalyst to goal development. I have a high school friend who is very active on social media. This past summer, she started a 30-day challenge to exercise every day and posted her progress via video on social media and I followed her most days. The workouts were intense, and you could tell were not easy, but she was committed, stuck to it, and had fun in the process. Her example was a catalyst for my 30-day running challenge. If you had asked me a year ago if I would start running again you would have heard, “No way!” However, I thought to myself, if Hope can do it, I can too! In this case, my spur-of-the-moment goal has likely turned into a new healthy promoting habit and Hope was my inspiration.
Inspiration can also give you the push you need to accomplish your goal. There are times you find yourself having difficulty completing your goal activities. The goal is important, you believe in it, and you have actionable steps to complete the goal but you run out of steam. This is especially true if your timeline to complete the goal is a long one due to the number of action steps to complete or the nature of the goal. A common example is a significant weight loss goal which can take as much as a year to achieve. The goal is driven by a desire to have a healthier body and to look and feel better. Perhaps you were inspired by your children to give them a good role model and ensure you have a long life with them. However, the day-in and day-out monitoring of diet and exercise routines can cause stagnation. Go back and revisit your original inspiration. You may just need a reminder to push on. If more is still needed, look for new inspiration. This could be finding others who are on the same weight loss journey but are perhaps ahead of you in reaching their goal. Does their example and support inspire you? Put yourself in situations that generally are uplifting such as music that you connect with or being in nature that can refresh and re-inspire.
In general, we feel good when we are inspired. There is something about feeling or seeing things outside of your normal routine or life that is invigorating. Keep your mind, eyes, and ears open for things that are inspiring to you. It might lead to a new goal and experience or help you accomplish a difficult goal.