I motivated him to start. He was inspired to stay.

You can’t force inspiration. But you can force motivation which can lead to inspiration.

You can push or you can be pulled.

Two days before the video above, I pretty much forced my son into a 4-day intensive basketball camp. He wasn’t thrilled. It’s vacation, he wanted to chill. But he succumbed. After day 3, after 8 hours on the court, we couldn’t get him off.

That’s motivation transforming into inspiration.

Motivate: to provide with a motive, or a cause or reason to act; incite; impel
Inspire:to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence; to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence:

Motivation is sweat and pushing. Inspiration is sweet and pulling.

Motivation is what you do until you are inspired.

This is part of a chapter of the upcoming book Every Single Day. You probably can’t be inspired Every Single Day, but what can you do that’s close? Motivate Every Single Day.

What can you do about it today? How can you get inspired? Motivate. What’s the only thing you have control over? Motivation. What are you hoping to achieve? Inspiration.

Go to the basketball camp even if you don’t want to. Be inspired through your motivation. Get better because you’re there, because you want to, you’re trying to. At some point, the shift will tilt in your direction and you’ll be able to stop pushing and start enjoying the pull of something greater. That’s inspiration. It will come. Just be persistent, patient and passionate.

• Possible: wait for inspiration
• Impossible: force inspiration
• Repossible: motivate until you’re inspired

More on Motivation vs. Inspiration

• How we define inspiration and motivation by Jonathan Mead. Motivation is about psyching yourself up. Chest-pounding. Fire-walking. Heavy-metal riffs. Inspiration comes from a completely different place. The word inspiration means to be in spirit.
• Five Differences Between Motivation And Inspiration by Christal Earle. In English, we tend to use two particular words interchangeably. To think of them as synonymous would be a mistake — because the differences between motivation and inspiration are much bigger than you may think.
• The Difference Between Motivation + Inspiration by Danielle LaPorte. MOTIVATION: You run the 5k to lose weight, stay in shape, raise money for cancer. Maybe to prove something. It’s on your bucket list. You made a bet. Only ten pounds to go. Achievement is thrilling. All fine reasons. INSPIRATION: The runner’s high. My body simply has to run. When I run, I feel closer to life.