Where do you find INSPIRATION?

We set certain goals of our life or give birth to the ambition of our life. In the initial stages of our goal setting  process or nurturing the ambition of our life, we are 100% enthusiastic and plan for working towards the attainment of our goals or ambition. But after a certain period, the spark within us to carve a niche for ourselves or the fire in our belly diminishes. Our level of enthusiasm towards our goal plummets and the tasks that we planned to do in order to be closer towards achieving our goal, soon become monotonous and appear exhausting. What should we do in such challenging situations? Should we give up on our Goals or Ambition?

My answer to these questions is a big NO. According to me, when you begin losing Enthusiasm for your goals and you fail to cultivate the right attitude or spirit of working towards your goals/ambition, then you should start looking for Inspiration. The important question is “Where should I look for Inspiration?” Well, Inspiration is not a product or item which can be found in a shop 😀 Inspiration is not a service provided by some agency or small business. Inspiration is a strong feeling which not only rejuvenates you, but motivates you in a big way to work towards your goals or ambition.

Now, I will answer the question “Where should I look for Inspiration?” Well, you should find out who are the people who had similar goals as yours, and if these people are accessible, which means if you are their acquaintance, you should get in touch with them, network with them and build a rapport with them. You should ask them for suggestions,while keeping in mind that they would not and SHOULD NOT spoon-feed you. They should guide you, they should suggest alternatives or solutions to your problems which you encounter while working towards your goals or ambition, but remember they cannot tell you every single detail of their journey towards their  success.

Let me illustrate with an example , what exactly I am conveying in the above paragraph. If there is a high school student who is bored of studying, but has aimed to become an Architect, he or she can get in touch with his/her seniors who got successfully enrolled for a course in Architecture. Why should he/she get in touch with this Architecture student? Well, he/she can ask for study techniques, find out about the required skill-set to become an Architect, find out about how to plan studies effectively in school as well as in college. He / She can get inspired by his seniors and also can get some knowledge from them, however he/she need not ask about what questions were asked in the entrance exams given by his seniors to step into the field of Architecture.

Now let me take another example which is not related to a person’s career-oriented goals. If there is a person say ‘A’ who aims to lose weight and begins exercising, but eventually loses interest in his/her goal to lose weight, then he/she should consult or simply get in touch with a person say ‘D’ who has lost weight through his/her sheer hard-work and perseverance. If it is not possible for person ‘A’ to get in touch with this person ‘D’, then ‘A’ can join a gym or Yoga class and get inspired on seeing the instructor and students exercise in the class OR ‘A’ can watch YouTube videos of Fitness trainers and get inspired by them to be consistent in efforts put for losing weight.

Are celebrities, public figures and wealthy entrepreneurs- the only source of INSPIRATION?

The drawback of Society is that it is crazy after Brands, celebrities, public figures and wealthy social influencers who are listed on the ‘Forbes’ magazine. I have deep respect and admiration for these celebrities and famous personalities who have high Brand value which they have earned. But does this mean that the common man or common woman or an anonymous person whom everyone does not know, cannot be inspiring for people? Here comes my answer- Celebrities, public figures or famous personalities, wealthy entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders are not the ONLY source of INSPIRATION for us. We, at times, fail to see the strength, determination and perseverance in the common people surrounding us- whether they are our family members, our friends, our relatives, our neighbors, our teachers OR even the domestic helper who works in our house. Many of them are fighting their own battle with courage and patience. Yes, the domestic helper who works in your house is an inspiration, because he/she does the most tedious, monotonous and time-consuming household chores on a daily basis, and you are left with easier and less-tedious household chores. Of course, you pay your domestic helper, but if your helper is unable to work for a day due to genuine reasons, you will understand how tedious are the tasks which he/she executes, while daily facing problems related to poverty.

The common man too can be a source of Inspiration. Why are ‘daily wage laborers’ not a source of  Inspiration? They belong to the lower strata of Society. So what?   Their social status is low. But who are we to decide that they have a lower status than us, when in fact they are community helpers. There is a lot to learn from them. They value money, food and the small pleasures of Life which they rarely experience.

Some individuals like me, find inspiring people within their family. For many of us, our parents’ struggle and endeavors in life, the challenges faced by our siblings; provide inspiration for us to overcome our limitations and  overcome our challenges. Our family members may not be famous personalities, but that does not make them less inspiring. Stories about the common man’s struggle and endeavors are never published or printed, so does that mean that the common man is less inspiring or not motivating?

One category of people who are a big source of INSPIRATION and MOTIVATION are our Army officers, Navy officers and Air-force staff ;  which sacrifice their lives to protect the nation from the enemy’s attack. We should be inspired by their selflessness, courage, patriotism, sense of duty, commitment towards the nation and of course their discipline.

If I have to give a gist of what I am trying to convey, than I would say that the common man you know, too can be a source of INSPIRATION for you and everyone, because his struggles and  the challenges which he faces, are not ordinary.

Is Inspiration enough to drive you towards your goal?

Inspiration motivates you and helps you to be consistent with your efforts or execution of duties. But, is Inspiration the only factor which can bring you closer towards your goals. My answer is NO. A few individuals venture into an unchartered territory as far as their career goals or even family-oriented goals are concerned. For example, a person may aim to become an Interior decorator , but may not know anyone who can inspire him/her. In such a situation, this aspiring Interior decorator should himself think of being an INSPIRATION for the next generation of Interior decorators.

Let me take another example which is NOT about career goals. A mother is told  that her son  is a ‘special needs’ child and  she does not know any child or adult with ‘special needs’. Should the mother lose hope about her child’s fate? My answer is NO, although I understand the pain and sorrow of a mother who is conveyed that her child is a ‘special needs’ child. Both parents should decide to be ‘ideal parents’ to this special needs child, even before thinking about how to provide the best for their child. If they cannot find shining examples of parents who have raised a ‘special needs’ child, then they themselves should decide to be an INSPIRATION to everyone.

If  you feel that you are living the worst life on this planet and you are the only one surrounded by problems, OR if you feel like giving up on your goals, then start searching for INSPIRATION.