We often use the words motivation and inspiration interchangeably but they originate from entirely different places. Motivation comes from an external force and we seek it to help us take action on things we don’t hold in high value. Inspiration comes from within our soul.

People seek motivation for many different areas in life. For me, I need motivation for such things as filing my taxes, paying bills and tedious paperwork. Getting practical tasks like dentist and doctors appointments taken care of is downright painful for me. Others, like my husband, do these tasks effortlessly (good thing I married him or I’d potentially be disorganized and broke!) These tasks feel like a waste of time and I would much rather be writing, training or reading a book. People like my husband find these practical tasks simple because they may value the peace of mind and order these activities produce. It all comes down to what we value. I will never be drawn from within to complete practical tasks and motivating me with external forces towards these tasks will always be temporary. Motivation is always fleeting.

“Motivation is external, inspiration is internal.” -Simon Lawry

Inspiration on the other hand comes from within. The definition of the word inspiration means to be in spirit. When inspiration is present, you are naturally motivated and taking action happens without effort. I am inspired to live a full life. I am pulled to travel, to learn, to know people at a deep level and overall make the most of each day. My spirit seeks this fulfillment, I am sure, due to the many incidences of death surrounding my early life which left me with a realization of the fleeting nature of life. Inspiration requires awareness and the ability to be in touch with our spirit.

“Motivation is the push. Inspiration is the pull.” -Natalie DeBruin

How do you get inspiration? The answer is you don’t “get” it. Inspiration is created within us. It originates inside our core, from within our spirit. But what if your spirit isn’t saying anything to you? I promise you it IS speaking to you but you aren’t listening. When our lives are full of distractions, it is impossible to hear what our soul is saying. This is a growing phenomena in our culture today. We are living through external motivation and not internal inspiration and then we are wondering why we are unhappy. As a society, we are increasingly medicated, depressed, overly fat and exhausted because we have no idea what we really want with our lives.

“Motivation is required when you’re not aligned with your highest values.”

This is highly evident in our current state of health and fitness as a society. Everybody is busy seeking motivation from the fitness world but missing the work of figuring out why their bodies are important to living the life they desire. Bouncing from one gym to another, from one celebrity trainer DVD series to another and one diet to another, with no lasting results. Here is the truth; no amount of motivation will work for creating lasting change until you connect with what inspires you. You will not feel motivated to take care of your body until you know why your body is necessary for the life you want to live. Remember, most people today have no idea what they want from life in the first place so no wonder they aren’t inspired to take care of themselves.

“I will help you find your inspiration. I will not motivate you.” -Evie Fatz

As a health and fitness coach I do not believe in motivating people. I have no interest in helping someone make temporary changes. I want only to help people create changes for a lifetime. When I teach someone to nourish their body with food, it is so they can live with energy to do what they love. I teach people how to exercise so their body can take them wherever they want to go in life. We put these pieces together so they feel proud and confident in their own skin. Creating lasting change happens when you find inspiration within yourself because external motivation doesn’t last. Believe me, it would be a lot easier to jump around and motivate people temporarily but I guess I have lofty goals.

I strive to help you find your inspiration by speaking to your spirit. Writing words that resonate within a person’s soul gives me great satisfaction in knowing I am helping them connect to a place deep within themselves. Surely this is why I have a strong following of people who look forward to the release of my articles. And yet another population of people who just want to know what to eat and how to exercise who don’t connect with my words at all. That’s ok, I don’t expect to have the ability to speak to everyone at a deep level. I will just keep writing though because stirring something within a person’s spirit fulfills my purpose in making the world a better place; one life at a time.