PRIME MOVERS – Being Inspired

Welcome back Viphilus*

Today we will look at INSPIRATION, how it works, and how it is fundamentally different from DRIVE.

To get us started, let’s throw out a definition. The word “inspire” comes from the Latin, and literally means, to breathe life into. Inspiration then means, “full of breath” or “full of life.”  INSPIRATION can be external but it is mostly internal and it is that thing you feel inside when you are moved to grow and BE better. If you recall from the May 4 post, DRIVE is that thing you feel inside when you are moved to acquire (get) more (or better). See the difference? One is about GETTING while the other is about BEING. That’s just the beginning of the differences.

Last week I introduced this diagram of our basic needs and spoke about the outer animal needs, often referred to as the "needs of deficiency." I showed how those needs DRIVE (or push) us outwards as we seek to fill unmet physical and emotional needs. They come from instincts for survival and we are born with those needs ... needs that drive us to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

The human needs, often referred to as "needs of growth and being," work in the exact opposite sense of the animal needs. Animal needs, motivate or move us to fill them when they STOP being met while human needs motivate or move us to fill them when they START being met. And, whereas the animal needs block us from being motivated to fill the deeper needs until they themselves are met, the human needs are a self-sustaining, self-generating form of motivation … the more you fill them, the more you want to fill them and the even deeper needs.

Back on April 13 I introduced you to Dan Pink’s 11-minute video on human motivation. If you haven’t seen it yet you should check it out … then come right back for the discussion.

I’m guessing there were a few eye-openers in there for you. Let me highlight a few of those. First, did you understand the truth that employees aren't motivated to do work if you aren't paying them enough, but once you take the issue of basic monetary needs off the table (pay them enough to survive) then money no longer motivates the same way? This is prime example of animal needs vs human needs.

My wife and I were at a marriage seminar a few years back and we heard the same concept being espoused by the facilitator, except in regard to sex. “In marriage,” he said, “sex only accounts for about 20% of what makes up a good and healthy marriage … unless there is no sex happening … then it is 80%.”  My wife and I looked at each other and said, “Yep.” We looked around the room at all the other “mature” couples and saw many nods of acknowledgement. We had all learned that as long as there is enough sex to satisfy the basic human needs, then sex isn't really all that important … meaning … there isn't a strong urgent need to satisfy the libido, because it IS being satisfied. But take that away, and the unmet need for sex becomes an obstacle to almost everything else and a healthy marriage is pretty much impossible. Even the Apostle Paul, a celibate, understood this and taught it in his marriage seminars (1 Corinthians 7).

Now here’s the problem. If the basic animal needs are not satisfied … with enough to take those issues off the motivational-table, then they pose a huge barrier to personal growth because filling the deeper needs becomes unimportant. It’s not impossible to fill these deeper needs, it’s just very difficult to even want to. This is where inspiration and passion come in (we’ll look a passion next week). There are things we can intentionally do … proactively … strategically … tactically … to begin filling the deeper needs even if our more superficial needs are not being filled. This is hard at first but it has an immediate snowballing effect if you can find the start button. And here is your motivation to find it:

The deeper the human needs that you fulfill, the greater the power that you have to override the animal needs.

Once you begin intentionally repeating this, it changes from a snowball effect to an avalanche effect and you will unlock the unconscious mind and make possible amazing personal growth and development. Things like protest fasts-to-the-death, or martyrdom, can’t be explained any other way.

This is where Maslow was criticized by other researchers because they knew his basic theory had some holes, knowing that the system isn't linear. Like most organic systems, it is much more complex because it contains synergistically linked switches that turn on and off. Unmet animal needs (physiological – emotional – etc.) turn the switch off for wanting to fill the deeper needs. BUT … and this is a BIG BUT … if you can find some way to get past the lack of desire to do it and proactively fill any of those deeper needs anyway, what you have actually found is another switch to turn off the need to fulfill those more superficial desires. Once you do that, it then becomes even easier to continue “going deep” and pursue the filling of the deeper needs. And the more you fill the deeper needs, and the deeper that those needs are that you are filling, the greater your ability (power) to turn off the animal needs almost at will. This power is greatest at the deep spirit level.

Inspiration is finding the motivation to want to fill those deeper needs, regardless of whether the more superficial animal needs are met or not. It is a pulling or “calling” inward by the deeper longings to be a human being and not an animal. In other words, the deeper the needs being fulfilled, the greater the power or “call” to override the more superficial outer needs.

In practice it is the inhaling of good ideas, philosophies, paradigms and stories which incite you to positive action. This is the idea behind the Apostle Paul’s instruction to dwell on positive (inspiring) thoughts which should then stir your actions:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

This raises perhaps the most important point left to make … that self-inspiration involves more than just thinking – it also involves actions. Following through on positive thoughts or impressions and actually doing the right things plays an important role in perpetuating inspiration. Doing right will mean that you’ll do things you don’t always feel like doing or things that you have to do. Yet, it is these very things which determine what you’ll be able to do more effectively in the future. This is the power of rituals. Doing right actually creates the inspiration to continue to do right as well as instill greater confidence that you are doing right. The legendary composer, Igor Stravinsky, said, “Just as appetite comes by eating, so work (action) brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”

Inspiring yourself also includes the practice of exhaling the bad ideas, philosophies, paradigms and stories which keep you locked into negative actions … locked into poor behaviours which don't match the desires of your conscience. And just as you must intentionally focus on the healthy thoughts for inspiration, you must intentionally cast-out negative thoughts which leave no room for the positive. This is the practice of high-performers and highly effective people.

The beauty of such self-motivation is that, unlike the basic outer needs turn themselves off once the needs are fulfilled, the deeper needs provide a sustainable source for motivation because they are never truly, “satisfied.” They continually pull / call you to new depths of character development and growth. Look at the graphic below, with some new annotations on the one from above.

How Do I Find the Start Button?

This is the big question people seem to have. “How do I find the start button to going deeper?” Christian psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book, “Integrity,” suggests that the required motivation to make a character change happens only when people have to finally face the reality that their lack of ability in some areas is costing them. And Dr. Cloud is very specific in listing three basic motivations: reality losses, rewards, and consequences. He says that, “People change when they ‘play the movie,’ which is to take a hard look at their life and work, then play that reality forward to see if they like the way the future movie of their life and career plays out. In that way, people begin to experience the future losses, rewards, and consequences right now and get with reality.” In, “The Power of Full Engagement**,” Loehr and Schwartz would have you ask yourself the question this way: “Is the life I am living worth what I am giving up to have it?”

Connecting this to our needs, Dr. Cloud suggests that we can imagine future “needs of deficiency” being thwarted, and use this to spirit (inspire) our change. This is a brilliant way to use the weaknesses of our animal side (those outer needs) as a platform for strengthening the human part of us. The fear of future losses, anticipation of future rewards, and clear vision of future consequences can be the beginning of self-actualization (level 7 in the concentric circles). Once that deeper-level need begins to be fulfilled (beyond the beginning), it can quickly become self-perpetuating. 

ACTION TIME … inspire yourself with the following reflections.

The following suggestions of Stephen Covey build directly on what I just shared from Dr. Cloud. Consider imposing 4 underlying assumptions about yourself for a period of 4 months and see how this influences your self-motivation. This can be powerful guidance to fuel your spiritual energy because it causes you to draw from a very different well of strength and integrity. The following can encourage you to live a more balanced, integrated and powerful life each day, engaging all four of your dimensions of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual:

For the body – assume you've had a heart attack; ponder how you should live … then live accordingly.

For the mind – assume the half-life of your profession is two years; ponder how you should spend your time differently … then spend it accordingly.

For the heart – assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; ponder how you should change your speech … then speak accordingly.

For the spirit – assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; ponder how you should live … then live accordingly.

If you are serious about learning how to inspire yourself, thinking alone won't do it ... you need to give yourself action steps.

See you next week when we look at the Prime Mover known as Passion.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

**  "The Power of Full Engagement" is one of the most important books I have ever read.