“In a culture obsessed with measuring talent and ability, we often overlook the important role of inspiration. Inspiration awakens us to new possibilities by allowing us to transcend our ordinary experiences and limitations. Inspiration propels a person from apathy to possibility and transforms the way we perceive our own capabilities. Inspiration may sometimes be overlooked because of its elusive nature. Its history of being treated as supernatural or divine hasn’t helped the situation. But as recent research shows, inspiration can be activated, captured, and manipulated, and it has a major effect on important life outcomes.”

The above paragraph was taken from an article about the importance of Inspiration on the Harvard Business Review site. The article goes on to look at the findings of two psychologists Todd M. Thrash and Andrew J. Elliot who went into detail on the main qualities of inspiration but we will not be going into all the details because it will take us away from the purpose of this article.

By definition, inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative or, a sudden brilliant or timely idea. Both definitions go perfectly well with what we share in this article as the aim is to speak on the importance of inspiration in Human Capital Development and Global competitiveness.

Have you ever notice how the Greats in every field are usually asked one question when they either create or break a new record or do something outstanding? There is one simple question and it is; “what was your inspiration?” I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to this question whenever I watch an interview with a successful figure in society because it takes us behind the scenes of what goes on in the person's head, truly phenomenal. As seen from the definitions above, inspiration births creativity, so it should not be overlooked. Now it is important to note that inspiration comes from a longing for more, in fact, Thrash and Elliot developed a scale called the “Inspiration Scale” and this scale measures the frequency with which a person experiences inspiration in their daily lives and found that inspired people are more open to new experiences. Inspiration does not just come to someone who is a recluse or uninterested in the change of some sort; the report showed that openness to new experiences often precedes inspiration.

Creativity and innovation are birthed through inspiration, so open yourself up to experience something new, and learn the skills of strategic thinking, perception, and out-of-the-box thinking so that your mind can be open enough to receive new ideas. You cannot sit around waiting for inspiration to hit you, you have to separate your mind from your feelings to get inspired, and quite honestly it is easier said than done but look at it this way, if I was waiting for inspiration to hit me before I get to work today, then I wouldn’t be writing this article right now and you might have never gotten to read it. So yes, it is not the easiest thing to do but it is necessary.

Let me close with this, inspiration comes to the prepared mind; no one achieves success without inspiration because they already open their minds to new possibilities.  The psychologists we talked about earlier in this article; Thrash and Elliot also found through their studies that for one to be said to have been truly inspired, actions have to follow the inspiration. True inspiration pushes you to act because it is more than just a feeling, it is a drive.

Leave a comment and let us know what inspiration looks like to you or something that inspired you to achieve success.