Inspiration is a stimulating force that drives us to transcend limitations and realize goals we might have otherwise thought impossible. It is often sparked by spiritual or religious beliefs, self-confidence, meditation or the words, actions or creation of others. But, the force of inspiration always comes from within us: from within our spirit.
The word God is used on this site to describe a power greater than our conscious self. This power may be defined differently by different readers: Jesus Christ, an inner spirit, a group of spirits, the force of nature, Allah, love, etc.

Note:Though I choose to practice Christianity, and the God I understand and believe in is defined in the Holy Bible, I do not practice a “religious” mindset which states that I know who God is and what God wants. I believe that humility and open-mindedness are strong Christian principles and are simply not compatible with a “religious” attitude.

A belief is a conviction that something is real with or without absolute knowledge or proof. For example, most of us have never seen God or experienced absolute proof of God’s existence, yet we may accept the idea that God exists. This acceptance is usually based on strong evidence or experiences that may not provide definitive proof.
Motivation is a force which gives purpose and direction to behavior. It drives us to focus on a particular goal of interest.

What is the difference between inspiration and motivation? Inspiration pulls us to a destiny by aligning our thoughts with our spiritual will, and motivation pushes us in the direction of a goal. Inspiration can be motivating, but motivation is not necessarily inspirational. When you are inspired, you are lead to perform actions that reflect your deep inner purpose. You are aligned with your spirit and the spirit of God. When you are motivated, you are focused on a particular goal which may or may not be aligned with your spirit.

Meditation is the act of clearing thought from the conscious mind. This can be done through the observation of silence, chanting to occupy the conscious mind, prayer, deep thought on a specific idea or countless other ways. The goal of meditation is to listen. While prayer is often a means to speak to God, meditation is a means to listen to God. By silencing our busy, cluttered thoughts, meditation allows us to recognize the wisdom that we have within us and to recognize manifestations of God’s plan for us in the world around us.

Permanent link to this article:

1 comment

  1. Daniel says:

    Hi I found this post while searching for a motivation related glossary. I really liked your comparrisim of the difference between motivation and inspiration and how it ties back to spirituality. Great work keep up the inspiring posts (I read some others and will comment shortly) Also for those of you interested I found an elaborate glossary of motivation in my research and it was a very informative read.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.
