What Inspires You?

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.  ~Frank Tibolt

As I sat in the dark using a battery operated lantern because of another storm that knocked out our power, I was inspired by the thought of not having electricity. As I sat in the dimly lit room, my imagination started in high gear and my pen started to flow.

We are now at the end of the 3rd week in January, which means that many of you have already lost your motivation to continue on with your New Year’s resolutions.  Goals and New Year’s resolutions often come from an inspiration.  At New Years, you may be inspired at the idea of a new beginning and fresh start.  Sometimes you’re inspired by a negative event, such as the illness of a friend or family member that motivated you to lose weight, exercise or quit smoking.  My husband calls these “wake up calls;” however, they often do not last long.  Sometimes, you’re inspired by mass casualty events, such as the terrorists attack on September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, or the recent earthquake in Haiti, which may have motivated you to be more prepared for disasters, or to donate to a charitable cause.

It is unfortunate that sometimes inspirations can be short-lived, and once the event has subsided and people go on with their lives, many return to the same old bad habits.  They may be inspired to take action, but only for a short while.

So then, how do you stay motivated?  By continuing to pursue your goals and follow your plan.  You see, you must take action in order to create your own inspiration. That action may take form in a variety of ways:

• Getting a coach or mentor to motivate you and inspire you to move forward.
• Finding an accountability buddy, or a friend or family member that will help keep you on track.
• Pursuing continuing education by attending workshops, seminars and teleseminars.
• Joining a Mastermind group and meeting with people who have a common goal.
• Applying for a group coaching program to connect with others, work through issues and inspire you to set goals for success.
• Revising your goals and updating your daily tasks with new and creative ways to achieving the same goal.
• Supporting a cause and becoming involved in a cause that is in line with your goal.
• Helping others by sharing your ideas and inspiring them to move forward.

There are many ways to gain inspiration; however, you must be willing to take action to find that inspiration.  What inspires and motivates one person will not necessarily inspire and motivate someone else.  Therefore, you must seek that which inspires you to achieve your own goals.

Now, I invite you to tell me what inspires you to achieve your goals.  How are you going to stay motivated and achieve your goals?  Please write your responses in the comments below.

For more information about achieving your goals, please go to Powerdrive to Success to see how this may fit into your plan for success.

Warm regards,

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”