Inspiration and Motivation Infinity

組織パフォーマンス向上「グローバル・ビジネスリーダー」

■Inspiration and Motivation Infinity

Defining the codependency of inspiration and motivation and how they infinitely feed each other

Few English words, such as inspiration and motivation, carry such substantially weighted meanings, represent multi-application concepts, and stretch beyond the boundaries of languages & cultures.  They have become a realization of daily efforts to most people and the meaning of existence to others.  Recently I had a wonderful conversation with a Japanese friend of mine discussing these concepts and their individual significances.  I quickly realized that there seemed to be a gap in definitional understanding and application.  There was a belief, an assumption, that inspiration and motivation were both able to be exchanged in context.  What my friend hadn’t realized was that these words were driving gears of separate notions which were codependent upon each other.  Together, these concepts create a single infinite unity which is inherently considered as an individual’s or organization’s backbone strength, or it could be their achilles’ heel.  In this column I will explain which concept comes first and how these two concepts are independently differentiated but yet a singular infinite force of codependency (Reference diagram).
Sometime in the years between 384 and 322 BC, Aristotle was puzzled by the idea of which came first, the chicken or the egg?  After all this time, people still ask this same question; just as they do between inspiration and motivation.  Because they are meshed together and cycle as one, if separated, there is a question of which comes first?  No doubt, this is a tough question to answer and many theorists will have their own ideas as to whether motivation or inspiration comes first.  However, I believe that inspiration comes first as the initial driving gear.
In order to create motivation, whether it be internally within yourself or externally within others, the root must come from an inspirational thought, process, action, emotion, or sense.   It’s an influence which makes you want to do something, further develops creativity, and is always positive.  It’s the seed of life in the genesis of ideas and a label to represent an impact made upon future generations of believers.  If you can visualize inspiration as having the characteristics of an ignition system within an engine, then you can also realize that motivation would be represented as the fuel source.  The engine cannot run without either the ignition system or the fuel source and it is the ignition key that starts the engine.
Motivation, as the basis of energy, directly controls all actions or processes while being determined by emotions and mindset.  It can be further categorized as part of the essence of reasoning and it is able to be either positive or negative.  Louis Leo Holtz, an American College Football Hall of Fame member said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.”  His point being, you are able to do what you know you can do, motivation determines your action or process output, and that your attitude (emotional state and mindset) will directly control your motivation.  Such as when you have an engine that is capable of a massive output (ability), it requires greater amounts of fuel (motivation), and is controlled by the fuel intake system (attitude – emotion and mindset)