There’s a difference between motivation and inspiration: motivation is temporary and inspiration is bigger and serves a higher calling. People can be motivated by money in the short term, but we all seek to be inspired by being involved with something with a greater purpose. Some of us go through each day uninspired. Maybe because we haven’t set down and created goals that inspire us to do more, become more, and have more. Uninspired people do these 12 following things well.
1. They try to get through the day instead of getting something from the day.
We call these people clock watchers. They usually say, “I can’t wait until it’s lunchtime,” “I can’t wait until break,” and then lastly, “I can’t wait until I get off work.” Then when they get home they plop down and watch the latest reality TV shows.
2. They seek entertainment instead of development.
The highly uninspired are usually more concerned with the next “Dancing With the Stars” episodes or the next sporting event of their favorite team. They look for entertainment instead of trying to invest in themselves, usually because they haven’t realized they aren’t yet fully developed or they are just lazy.
3. They focus on what is wrong instead of what is right.
Everything is wrong and nothing is right. The highly uninspired are so focused on what is wrong that they can’t objectively see anything that is good.
4. “What if…?” isn’t in their vocabulary.
“I can’t,” “It’s too hard,” or “It won’t work,” are their favorite sayings. They can’t think about, “What if I read one book a month?” or, “What if I worked harder on the job?” or even, “What if I turned off the TV and did something that contributed to a bigger goal?”
5. They see what they can get away with, instead of what they can do.
They show up late, slide out early. They look for ways to get around, instead of going through. They say, “I did what you asked me to do,” instead of asking, “What else can I do?”
6. They focus on today only and don’t think about tomorrow.
The highly uninspired are not thinking long term. They are thinking about today and how they can get through it. They are not setting goals that require them to think past today.
7. They seek followers that are also uninspired.
We have all heard misery loves company. The highly uninspired look for others who are uninspired and who can validate how they feel and make them feel better about themselves, knowing they aren’t the only ones. They want to bring people to their pity party.
8. They seek activity over accomplishments.
They think that activity is just as good as accomplishing. They would rather get through the day and say, “I was so busy,” and feel like that really means they did something. They love the excuse that they are always busy doing the things that don’t matter.
9. They do what is easy.
The highly uninspired stay away from the hard stuff. They look at the to do list and ask themselves, “What is easy and what can I do so I can appear to be busy?”
10. They want something handed to them.
They think that the government, their employer, and their parents owe them something. They look for handouts, or even worse ask for handouts, instead of looking at what they can do to earn something.
11. They care more about what’s in it for them than the good of all.
They are usually more focused on themselves and don’t really think about others. This is probably what has led them down the road to being highly uninspired. When you give more than you take, it is more rewarding and you get energy and inspiration for doing good for others.
12. They make excuses instead of taking action.
They blame the weather, they blame the office, they blame their boss. They never take ownership or action to get things done. They would rather complain about all of the obstacles, and usually complain more about potential obstacles than those that actually exist.
We all get to a point where our inspiration may be lacking, the above points are your warning signs that you may need to re-evaluate where you are. Ask yourself, “Am I doing some of the things outlined above?” If so, ask yourself a second question: “Are my goals big enough to inspire me to do more, become more, and ultimately to have more?” To have more you must become more. You must become a better employee, a better manager, a better leader, and a better learner. When you create worthwhile goals and you search and seek information and take action on that information, you will become highly inspired to accomplish those goals and you will go from being highly uninspired to highly inspired, and will even inspire others.
Featured photo credit: Highly Uninspired via morguefile.com
