Inspiration isn't enough

I write every day. But it’s often for work or for myself in my journal. A few days ago, I revived ‘Thrive Weekly’ from the hiatus it had been in and decided to start posting my writings again.

So what sparked this revival? No, it wasn’t just the guilt of using AI to finish the creative tasks at hand (it’s a part of it for sure). But I was reading some blogs written by an old friend, in the pre AI lockdown time. Just pure, raw, unfiltered thoughts. Like a writer chatting with the reader. No fluff, no em dashes and definitely no cringe-sounding content. It was inspiring to see how the ideas flowed.

I was surprised how they retained my attention. These weren't those quick and snappy blog articles. They were long form.

Naturally, it sparked something within me. Reminded me of the days when I spent hours writing blogs, fiction stories while just exploring and getting lost in my own world. We may not have the same luxury of time now, but I missed how creativity flowed freely back then.

So I made myself sit down, kept the phone away, cut all the distractions and wrote. As the brain dictated and hands typed, after a while I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. I was so back! and the creativity was like a high I had been chasing.

But as predicted, it wouldn’t last for long.

Think of your hunger for passion as a lonely desolate man spending a cold night in the forest. You need to spark a fire and keep it burning in order to survive.

Inspiration is that spark that lights the fire beneath you. It gives you the push you’re waiting for to take action. But it cannot push you everyday. It is fleeting. And also lowkey seductive.

It convinces us that when it strikes, change will be effortless. But real change isn’t romantic. It also involves repetition, boring drills, choosing the harder option again and again until the “work” becomes who you are.

Think of it like a gym membership you bought in January. Inspiration is swiping the card for the first time. Discipline is showing up even when the novelty wears off and you have to practically drag yourself out of bed to simply show up.

Without structure, systems, and stubbornness, inspiration rots into guilt. It turns into the frustration of having felt something deeply but never acting on it.

So no, inspiration isn’t enough. But it is necessary.

Because without it, you wouldn’t even look up and imagine what could be.

Inspiration gives direction. Grit makes it real.

I’ll leave you with a question here: If inspiration only knocks once in a while, what carries you through the silence between its visits? Besides discipline. Cause that is the key that will keep you going.