Perspiration fuels Inspiration - 01People love being inspired. Braveheart, American Ninja Warrior, Dead Poets Society, we love things that inspire us.

Doing something significant starts with inspiration. What’s driving you to do what you do? What is God pressing into your heart that you’ve got to be a part of? It’s deep in your core where passion and inspiration get ignited.

The problem is inspiration without action is a very short experience. Inspiration is the ignition, but perspiration is the fuel.

I’ve heard multiple songwriters say that songwriting is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Sure, sometimes you have the lightning-in-a-bottle moments where a song basically writes itself, but most of the time it takes significant work. Thomas Edison said this, “Genius is one-percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Being an entrepreneur is tough. I’ve been on this entrepreneurial journey for almost a year now. It’s one thing to say you’re hanging a shingle to start your own business. It’s a completely different story when you’re past the honeymoon phase of being your own boss. Many entrepreneurs start this journey because of an inspiration, but the successful ones are the ones who push through adversity.

It’s in my God-given DNA to get out of the cave, kill something, and drag it home. It’s the 50-60 hours I average per work week that involve far more sweat equity than cash flow right now. Am I inspired? Absolutely, I love what I get to do! Are there moments where inspiration feels beat-up and it’d be easier to look for job openings? Honestly, yes… but that’d be cheating for me.

I keep an email folder of job offers and openings different people have emailed to me over the past year. I haven’t asked for any of them; they just show up in my inbox. The reason I hold onto them is that they’re fuel for my fire. I don’t want to go back to the way things were because the opportunity to build something significant is worth the perspiration to fuel my inspiration.

Hard work goes further than light bulb moments. My determination to push through monotony is what separates me from others who hit the wall of hard work. Inspiration is the starting line, but perspiration is the marathon. I’d rather run a fantastic marathon than a short-lived sprint.

Perspiration fuels inspiration. All day. Every day. Hard work without purpose just makes you a hamster on a wheel. Inspiration without execution only makes you a theorist. We need both to make dreams a reality and build something that lasts.

What’s driving your inspiration today?