Inspired

Often we say that we are inspired but are we truly? I think that we have become enthralled with the idea of being inspired that we are no longer getting truly inspired by what we see around us. Now to unpack what being inspired truly means. Here is the definition that I found on Google;

         Inspiration noun:- the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something.

With this being said, you would think that this would be the end of the conversation on inspiration. It’s simple, it’s when something catches your eye and make you want to do it. But it’s not that simple if we're being honest. I believe that to be truly inspired is to completely change your outlook or how you feel about something. It’s when what you believe is completely and utterly turned upside down or intensified to a level you've never experienced before. True inspiration is a point of no return to how you were before that point. In today's society people are always throwing around the phrase 'that truly inspired me,' yet what do they do with that inspiration? Nothing. They do nothing because they weren’t truly inspired, they think they were, but in reality they were just enamoured with what they've seen and the idea of being inspired. Rather it would have been better if they said 'oh that was nice,' than 'I was inspired' because then it’s not expected of them to act on this inspiration only to be disappointed. 

With that being said, let’s explore the sources of where inspiration can come. Against all common conception, inspiration can come from anyone. Absolutely anyone. Young, old, famous, mediocre, poor, rich, extravagant, shy, friend, foe, stranger, book, film, TV, music, real life, fantasy, anyone and anywhere. It’s not just that one person who seems to get all the spotlight, like that Instagram guru, that humanitarian, politician, famous person. It can be anyone who can inspire even in the smallest of things like being kind, helping out wholeheartedly even when it inconveniences you. It could be that girl/boy you smiles and laughs all the time, spreading around joy when everyone seems to want to tear each other down. Recently, I was inspired by a little girl in year 7 on what to do with my hair. I had been so scared to cut my hair because of my insecurities of what it’d be like to not have that shield of my hair as a part of my image. In seeing this girl with the hairstyle I’d been slyly putting off really inspired me to re-evaluate how I considered my identity. I realised in that moment that I had to cut my hair because my identity, no matter what I looked like, no matter the style of my hair, is in Jesus, not my appearance. It was that same day I saw this girl that I cut my hair. This girl doesn’t know the impact she had on me, but it was through being brave in her own right to have short hair when everyone else says you should have long hair. This was true inspiration because it completely redefined my outlook on how I saw myself, and because of that I couldn’t go back, I had to take action. 

I think the real issue with today, is that we are content with the pretence of being inspired, rather than actually being inspired enough to take action. We also expect inspiration to be served to us in the most extravagant and obvious ways, when in actual fact, the best inspiration usually comes from the small things that are barely noticeable. We just need to look harder and more carefully, not like society would have us seeking for the obvious. We should take our time to assess, process, dwell, think on things, not just seeing something, shallowly taking it in and continuing on like that’s it. There is never a time where you can think too much about something. Even the smallest of things. 

It’s in the subtle that the best inspiration stems.