here’s why i don't want to be "inspired" anymore... & neither should you.

is this a safe space?

…because i need to know before i get real with y’all today.

aight, so check it: this weekend was a little weird for me because i came to a realization that i never thought would come to me. i’m pretty much at a point in my life where i feel like “inspiration” isn’t as good of a thing as we’ve been made to believe and if i’m being completely honest, it’s not something i want to actively seek out anymore — or at the very least, i feel it’s even more important that i monitor my intake of daily “inspirational” content. but before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s look at the Merriam-Webster definition of the word — this will serve as the anchor to today’s journey.

inspiration | noun | in·​spi·​ra·​tion:

“the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.”

just think about that for a moment: “to be mentally stimulated to do/feel something.” i looked at this and thought, okay, so what exactly is stimulation? well, since we're in the mood of defining words, i’ll share:

stimulant | noun | stim·​u·​lant:

“an agent (such as a drug) that produces a temporary increase of the functional activity or efficiency of an organism or any of its parts ”

with this, i’ll be the first to say, “yikes.”

if we truly break things down, merging what we’ve learned from these definitions, inspiration is merely a temporary drug, stimulating us for only a moment to feel like we can do something. and this my friends… this is where i draw issue because there’s something missing here: ACTION.

see, i understand how strange this may seem coming from someone like me, since — if we’re honest — inspirational content is my bread and butter. it’s the creamy honey butter to my Hawaiian roll. i love sharing the insight that i’ve gained through spending time with God, reading, praying, and sitting in solitude. still, what purpose would i really be serving if i wasn’t urging you all to actually DO SOMETHING with all of it.

look, i don’t want us to become inspiration hoarders: someone who’s sole existence is to simply attend conferences, panels discussions, sit in on countless Facebook/IG Lives from influencers, repost their every word, and still be in the same place we were at a year ago. all because we hoarded that inspiration, but never applied it to anything tangible.

as we have learned, if not channeled correctly, inspiration can become one heck of a drug. giving you a high that can only be satisfied by the next post you addictively resonated with.

if you’ve been paying close attention to my recent content, i hope that you are seeing that i am becoming more action-oriented than before. because i’m not a stingy lover; ya girl doesn’t want you to only share & repost my content because you felt a tingle in your spine, but because you felt something deep within your soul that ignited something, and that the spark will lead you to take action. my desire has always been that you all would take something from this space that i’ve created for us & apply in your own life or share with in your circles to promote a new thought, dialogue and best case scenario — ACTION.

i say all this because there are ppl who will manipulate our idle minds. there are “influencers” and Instagram-famous-motivational entrepreneurs out there who are making a living off of our blind obedience to their content. to think that we need just one more post, just one more panel, just one… more… hit… to get us where we want to be in life. from what i’ve observed, to be “inspired” is to be in a state of suspended reality. so high from the possibilities of what you could do, that you never actually do anything.

friends, nothing truly comes from just sitting on things and storing information, gifts, talents, and ideas. i don’t want inspiration to make us zombies, as we mindlessly repost out of habit and reflex. i want you to feel empowered to do something with what you have and to actually implement those wild ideas that were birthed from your inspiration, not just think you can.

motivation | noun | mo·ti·va·tion:

“the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.”

but you see, there’s something intrinsically different about “motivation,” because reason and motive are attached to this.

you see, there really hasn’t been a day since March 31st that i haven’t thought about the late, Nipsey Hussle. his mantra, “Hussle & Motivate” will forever be etched in my soul because it was a call-to-action; to hustle, do the work, and motivate others to do the same on their own path. so more than anything, my sole purpose is: motivation over inspiration, because motivation is an action-oriented word. i want this space to empower you to carry out your purpose and to find your reason, your why, and your motive. because at the end of the day, inspiration is a driving force, but motivation is the pulling force to change.

〰 before you go: leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the topic of inspiration vs motivation. i’d love to hear from you!

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ig: @aleyarion | twitter: @aleyarion

peace & light,

ya girl, Aley.