If you don’t know what inspires you to take action now, how will you ever get anything done? Take time to find out what pushes the buttons that make you push buttons and you will succeed at all you attempt.
If you don’t know what inspires you to act, it is harder to get up and go!
Inspiration is often defined as the state of being mentally stimulated to do a certain thing. The mental stimulation is the push that causes us to take action now and get things done. Many of the tasks we must do each day are tasks that we do not like, things we do not want to do, or obligations with little reward.
At the same time, these are often the tasks we must do. At home, this includes things like cleaning the toilets, washing dishes, and cleaning the kitty litter box. These tasks are all unpleasant to a certain degree. At the same time, these tasks must be done.
Read More: What Inspires You – Find Your Inspiration
When unpleasant tasks must be done, those tasks that offer no intrinsic reward, we must find something that inspires us to get them done. Not only must we get the job done, but we must also get the things done in a timely manner. The tasks listed above must be done on a regular and repeated basis.
In order to find inspiration to get them done, often we have to look at the big picture and think long-range. Doing those chores may not be satisfying in and of themselves, but having a clean home, providing a good atmosphere for our families, and being able to relax without thinking about dirty jobs can provide inspiration to help us take action now and get the dirty jobs done.
It is important to sit up and notice what inspires you to take action now. Often when people think of inspiration, they think of grand things like:
- wanting to save the world
- needing to make a fortune
- desire to create something that has never been done before
These things do give many people a great deal of inspiration. However, how many times can you save the world? How much money does a person need to earn? What happened to the idea that “there is nothing new under the sun.” These grand sources of inspiration will not help us with the mundane ordinary chores we keep procrastinating about. For those things, chores like the ones listed above need sources of inspiration that are a bit less grandiose. When it comes to routine, ordinary tasks, look for some small-scale sources of inspiration.
[Tweet “”When did Noah build the ark? Before the rain.” Spy Game”]
Some ordinary, small-scale sources of inspiration include the following:
- desire to cross things off the to-do list
- pride in completing a task
- not wanting to hear complaints from others
- personal satisfaction
These small ordinary sources of inspiration will help some people complete routine ordinary tasks. If nothing on this lists works for you, today is a great day to sit down and find out what does fill you with the inspiration you need to take action now and get things done. Get out a pen and paper or your favorite electronic device and make a list of ten to twenty things you have done over the course of the past year that you did not want to do.
Next to each item, write down the reason you did each thing. What was the source of inspiration that caused you to take action now and do each of those things you did not want to do? That list of reasons on the right side of the page or device is your list of sources of inspiration. Save that list so that you can refer to it in the future when you do not want to do something that must be done.
Store sources of inspiration for tasks big and small so they are available when you need them.
On the surface, inspiration may sound like something easy that needs no work at all. That couldn’t actually be further from the truth. This is because inspiration is not a one size fits all type of thing. Some things require a lot of inspiration while others require very little motivation. In addition, what may require a large source of inspiration for me, may require only a tiny source of inspiration for you. Both the amount of inspiration needed to get a thing done and the things that inspire one to take action now and get things done are individual and personal things.
Read More: Inspiration – Find it and Use it to Take Action Now
Inspiration is situational. It is not a one size fits all type of thing. You must find a source of inspiration for each thing you need to do. After all, the thing that inspires us to make breakfast would not inspire us to go on an adventure around the world.
Keep a list of the things that inspire you to take action now and get things done. Refer to the list on a regular basis to keep your sources of inspiration readily available in your mind. Start with the list you created above then add a list of ten to twenty things that you did over the course of the last year that were big important things you were happy to do. Next to each item write what inspired you to do each thing on the list.
Most importantly, save the list! When you have things to do, things you must do but cannot find a reason to take action now to get them done, you can refer to this list. These personal sources of inspiration will help you do what you need to do in order to take action now and get things done. In Spy Game, one of my favorite movies, the hero said “When did Noah build the ark? Before the rain.” That is how you should think of your inspiration list. Prepare it before you need it and save it so it is ready when you need it.
So, the question for you this magnificent day is, what inspires you to take action now and get things done?
I love this! I have been in a rut lately, but what I really need is to remember what inspires me! Thank you for the reminder.
My family inspires me to be the best i can be. It helps me to have a positive mindset.
I’m a procrastinator but reading your post is really getting me to think differently. Thanks so much for inspiring us all with another great post.
My inspiration is always a simple but powerful thought…my family! Keeping them in mind really helps me get my goals accomplished even on a difficult day. 🙂
I get picked on for making to-do lists. It is one of my ways of motivating myself. They are hand written so I can literally cross each item off as they are done. Funny how something so small really can make you feel better about tasks you may not want to tackle.
I agree that everyone needs to find something that inspiries them. My kids are always a really big one for me.
I completely agree about taking action now. I think everyone can use some inspiration now and then. I sure could use some right now.
I try to find inspiration and gratitude in everything I do. Some days it is easier said than done.
I am in a bit of an inspiration rut right now. Finding what inspiring you is a tricky task but when it comes great things happen!
My kids are my biggest source of inspiration at the moment. Their innocence, and honesty really humbles me.
You know, so often I think we all get stuck and need to sit back and rethink about inspiration and look to all of that around us. I think my kids inspire me to be a better person, human, and mom
I needed to see this today. I’ve been stuck in a rut lately so this was perfect.
I have a hard time finding inspiration sometimes. I get stuck in a rut, but this might help me figure out how to get out of those ruts more quickly.
This is a great post! Not all inspiration has to be light from the Heavens. It can just be a simple chore sheet.
My hubby needs to read this! He is always trying to figure out what inspires him and he always has such a hard time figuring it out.
“When unpleasant tasks must be done, tasks that offer no intrinsic reward, we must find something that inspires us to get them done.” So true! This makes all the difference! And I love that you point out that inspiration is different for everyone and for every situation. I think often we forget to remind ourselves that we don’t always have to be inspired by grandiose aspirations, it can be as simple as just wanting to add joy to our day.
I tend not to put things off if I feel like I’d rather not do them, I tackle them head first so I can put them behind me and go back to enjoying more inspiring goals. Thanks for the great post!
I believe that if you save or change the mind of one person that you can change the world. That’s what inspires me.
I think we all need a little inspiration from time to time. Now is as good a time as any.