It has been a few weeks since I last wrote anything, my post on Modern Love drew some great feedback and helped bring in some extra traffic to the site. Since then I have suffered from a complete lack of inspiration. The ideas have been there, but the desire and motivation to put the words down on paper have been lacking. As I mentioned in my previous article, my girlfriend is currently in Europe and we find ourselves separated by the tyranny of distance for five months. I miss her, and consequently my mind has not been in the right place to write.
It has got me thinking about inspiration and, importantly, what how we respond when it is absent. We cannot always act in a space of inspiration – there will often be times when we have to buckle down and get the job down, regardless of how we feel. I was even told at one workplace that you had to leave your personal life at the door and not let it affect your work. Yet how realistic is this? Should we be expected to suddenly switch off from everything the moment we enter the office? I agree that there is a need for professionalism in the workplace, but it should also be recognised that we are each dealing with our own problems.
This article is not going to provide any answers about inspiration. I certainly do not know how it comes about, or why it disappears – if I did then I probably would not be in this situation and this article would not have been written. What I do know is that everywhere I look I see friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs – to the extent that many are openly questioning their career paths. The dream we are sold, especially in law school, is vastly different from the reality. Maybe this is the reality of adult life. We are still young, still idealistic, and still naïve in the ways of the world. Perhaps life is not meant to be full of inspiration.
This brings me to the issue of hard work. It may sound as if I am complaining about having to do hard work all the time. I am not. I have built my life on the back of year after year of hard work. From swimming, to school work, to relationships I have understood that success can only be achieved with consistent and dedicated effort. However, I do not believe that this should exist in the absence of inspiration. Hard work will only get you so far, and hard work without inspiration will drive you to despair.
Where to then for me? Thankfully, my lack of inspiration is only temporary. In times such as these I am thankful that I have the history of hard work to fall back on. I know that I can focus on my work for awhile and the inspiration will eventually start to flow from that again. That knowledge does not make today any easier and while I have enough energy for my work – there is precious little left for any of the other projects I want to work on. Maybe that is the price we pay for the lack of inspiration. And if we are determined to succeed, then a lack of inspiration can be disastrous.
Inspiration gives us the drive to reach for the stars and to take our lives to the next level. It gives us that spark to work on the things we want to work on when we get home from the office each night. It gives us the drive to wake up at 5:30am and head to the gym; it gives us the drive to spend hours each night learning a foreign language, or reading, thinking and writing about fascinating topics such as inspiration; and it gives us that drive to strive every higher. That is the power of inspiration. You can see why I do not like living without it!
Great thoughts Joshua. I like the idea that inspiration gives us the drive to do things. I find that when I am doing things I love I am far more likely to be inspired. New ideas pop up out of nowhere because I am connected to whom I really am. Inspiration comes when we function from a place that is deeply meaningful to us.
Thanks for stopping by Guy! It is true what you say – that inspiration comes when we function from a place that is deeply meaningful to us. When we focus on activities we love it lifts our soul and allows the inspiration to flow in.
Joshua, your last post as well as this one have engaged me more than I thought they would. Inspiration is a lot like a meandering river that unexpectedly changes it’s course and one is left wondering what happened. I remember there was a time I’l churn a blog post every 2 or 3 days and now I have to push myself to do half as much work. I tried thinking back to determine what changed and here’s what I realized (it could help you too):
- back then, my blog was young and I had set a lot of short-term goals. Once those were achieved, I sort of let go
- there was a two-month period a couple of months ago where I was on a semi-vacation. The lack of productivity has lingered (just like you feel you cannot sleep less than 10 hours a day simply because you’ve been doing it for a while)
- I’m fasting these days and experts say it reduces one’s agility by 60% (I really hope this is the main reason and not simply an excuse). The obvious solution is to take in high-sugar food items that prevent drowsiness.
I hope you come out of your rut. It helps me to set daily goals and decide topics several days in advance so I can mentally prepare myself to get busy.
Thanks for your support Fehmeen, I feel like the river has begun flowing my way again! I am intrigued by your experience with fasting – whenever I have done an intermittent fast my experience is that my mind clears precisely because it is not distracted by food or the harmful effects of processed sugar. Maybe the difference is between short-term fasting and more longer-term fasts?
Well, fasting is all about purifying yourself spiritually as well as physically, and feeling the pain/suffering of the destitute, so it’s great to know it helps you focus. The thing with me is that I’ve been fasting for about 20 days so far, and although it’s a humbling experience, one’s body tires quickly because it’s not getting as much food as it used to – a reminder that we’re used to eating beyond our appetite and also used to the ‘harmful effects’ of certain food items (as you mentioned)…