What inspires you as a small business owner? By definition, you must be inspired—not every minute or every day or even every week—but often enough to help you re-frame problems, come up with new solutions and of course, carry on through your longest and most difficult days.
So what is it? In the simplest terms, inspiration is something that persuades you to do or feel something; something that motivates you. Although Inspiration plays a role in all our lives and the many roles we assume, it varies a lot—and is not well understood. We’ve all heard the famous sayings on “inspiration vs. perspiration,” referring to genius, creativity or entrepreneurs, which seem to emphasize hard work over inspiration.
In writing about Why Inspiration Matters on a Harvard Business Review blog, NYU cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman says that as a culture, we tend to focus more on talent and ability over the importance of inspiration. But, it’s inspiration that enables us to transcend the ordinary and our limitations and even look differently at our capabilities. We tend to think of inspiration, though, as elusive, somehow tied to the supernatural and the divine.
But now, there’s research on inspiration and its major effect on important life outcomes. In short, inspiration is a BIG DEAL! Psychologist have found that true inspiration involves not just being inspired by something but also acting on that inspiration. This is important for entrepreneurs who depend on a certain amount of inspiration to keep pushing forward, often carving out new territory as they go.
Kaufman describes an “Inspiration Scale,” developed by two psychologists, Thrash and Elliot, that measures how often people experience inspiration in their daily lives. Those most inspired are more open to new experiences and tend to be more absorbed in their work. They are not more conscientious and are less competitive (which is non-transcendent), strongly preferring to master their work. Inspired individuals tend to have a belief in their own abilities, self-esteem and optimism.
So why is inspiration important? It can take us beyond our day-to-day conscious goals and awaken something new, better or more important, transcending what we were concerned about before. It’s the springboard for creativity, contributes to well-being and gratitude and generates feelings of purpose. And Kaufman emphasizes that inspiration is not willed—it is something that happens to you.
But he’s also quick to say that inspiration isn’t totally outside your control either. He sees inspiration as a surprising interaction between your current knowledge or experience and information you’re receiving from the world. And although you can’t force it, he says there are things you can do to increase the chances of being inspired. Preparation (mastering work) is a big one—effort prepares the mind for inspirational experiences. Being open and being positive will help you recognize inspiration when it occurs. And you should savor small accomplishments, because they can boost inspiration and spark a cycle of creativity and productivity.
Here’s another great thought. Kaufman says an incredibly important trigger of inspiration is being exposed to inspiring managers, role models and heroes. Obvious examples include Steve Jobs and Bill Gates but in reality, there’s an almost limitless universe of inspiring social pioneers, crusaders, problem solvers and thinkers. They’re everywhere, if only we allow ourselves to tap into the inspiration they offer.
The fact that inspiration can be found just about everywhere is part of the underlying message from social media strategist and aspiring social entrepreneur Kianta Key in her commentary 3 Unexpected Ways I Get Inspiration as an Entrepreneur on thedailymuse.com. Key says it’s fine to read books and attend conferences, but there are also some not-so-hidden sources of inspiration closer to home. Key says she routinely gets inspiration from other local entrepreneurs, family members and employees.
In addition to these, entrepreneurs list mentors, customers and quotations as important sources of inspiration. The message: You just never know what’s going to inspire you. So you won’t want to miss 40 Pieces of Inspiration for Entrepreneurs from contributor Wempy Dyocta Koto on under30ceo.com. CEO of a global business development agency, Koto says the 40 tips are offered to help entrepreneurs, business leaders, mavericks and aspiring innovators speed up their inspiration to make contributions and solve world problems.
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