Act on Inspiration

Naval Ravikant commented that “Inspiration is perishable - act on it immediately.” I found this quote fascinating enough that I decided to sit down, take some time to think, write and question myself, so that I can (hopefully) unravel part of its meaning.

Inspiration, the process of mental stimulation that arouses one to take action, can be a potent catalyst for change. I wonder, where does inspiration come from? How long are we inspired for and what determines this time? What can make someone inspired? Do all feel inspired by the same things? And do we all want to take action the same way? Well, answering these questions could be an essay of its own, and many have studied this topic, so I'm going to leave this discussion for another time; but of course, it's fundamental that we question this feeling and try to feel intimate to what inspiration is. Since we know that it's perishable and we know when we are inspired, why should we make the most of these moments?

I want to explore the benefits of being inspired, and how this short term feeling can truly change our lives. First off, what happens if we just simply go through the feeling of inspiration and don't act on it? Well, if we don't act on inspiration, once the dopamine kicks in, we might just sit through the highs of feeling like we can conquer the world and then return to a normal state of mind as soon as the feeling passes. Therefore, if we don't act on this feeling, we won't benefit from being inspired, we will just have a feeling of wanting to act for a while which essentially will die out. What happens if we act then? In most sports competitions, coaches tend to fire up athletes before they enter the field through a pep talk so they can perform better. When we go for a jog, we may listen to music to try and keep us going for longer, and keep running by the beat. Or let's say we remember our old friend from school looking at some old photos and wonder what he's doing so we give him a ring. These are all forms of action through inspiration. An end result for an athlete in which they outperform the opponent, a longer and more productive run for a jogger, and a renewed encounter between two old school friends are therefore results of acting on inspiration. As you can imagine, being inspired and acting on it can be great, maybe even life changing, but inspiration seems pointless if you then don't act on it.

But be careful, not always is the end result going to be great. The inspired athletes might get so pumped up that they don't play by the tactics and the opponent then takes advantage. Maybe the jogger runs more than his body can handle and then suffers an injury. Or even that old friend gets really confused on why you are calling him, so you end up in an awkward situation. Therefore, acting on inspiration may have a not so pleasant end result, so take caution on this emotion. Balance it with a rational mind that understands this feeling, takes advantage of inspiration and then takes confident actions in hope for positive results.

Well then, when we're inspired, it's essential to act on it. Grab that spark and make it count. But of course, be careful with your actions and make sure inspiration is making positive changes to your life. Buy a book that seems interesting when someone recommends one, talk to a friend or family member that you miss whenever you remember them. Go and start a new project if you have a unique insight. Book an airbnb and travel on the weekend with your friends when they say they're available. Or maybe even write an essay about a topic that interests you; all it takes is inspiration, which of course won't last; so act on it.