Inspiration

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. – Frank Tibolt

One of the mottos of Codependents Anonymous is “fake it till you make it”. Basically, you pretend you’re strong enough to withstand the problems you’re facing until you really are strong enough. You pretend you have a good self esteem and treat yourself as such until you actually do have a good enough self esteem. There are two rules about it, though. You don’t do it with finances (you don’t spend as though you’re making a lot of money when you aren’t). You don’t do it with other people (you don’t fake that Joe is sober when he isn’t).

Another place that action almost has to come first is writing. We all know plenty of people who would love to write a novel or a poem or a screenplay or something. But they don’t. They have the beginnings of inspiration, but they don’t act on it. What they don’t get is that if you start acting first, then the rest of the inspiration will show up, too.

Another place that action comes before inspiration is in opportunities. Sometimes, you have to take an action as though you knew what you were doing before the right opportunity comes along. You aren’t going to find out about the perfect accounting job until after you take some accounting courses or start looking in the classified ads. You aren’t going to get a big break in acting until you start acting in some things. If you wait to be “discovered” first, you’ll have a very, very long wait.

Start your Future now. Don’t wait for your next birthday or New Year’s Eve or even this upcoming Monday. Start it now, and inspiration will follow.