Which comes first, action or inspiration?

By:  Lori T. Williams, Owner/Managing Attorney of Your Legal Resource, PLLC

There are times when I am inspired by my actions, and other times when I am first inspired and then take action.  I think we all need a healthy mix of action and inspiration in order to accomplish anything worthwhile.  If we simply oooh and ahhh, but never do anything with what inspires us, the inspiration will eventually fade and be forgotten.  Yet if we are constantly on the go trying to accomplish much, but never reflecting on what we accomplished, or taking time out to rest, we’ll miss out on the opportunity to be inspired.

Albert Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge. Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”

I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all thought, “I don’t feel like going to the gym.” Once we get there, we enjoy the workout and are glad we invested that time.  We have more energy and a positive attitude because of the physical activity.  We usually go on to have a productive day after a morning workout, despite not wanting to get out of bed initially. That’s one example of action preceding inspiration.

Perhaps you read a book or someone’s blog and it inspired you to write something.  That’s an example of inspiration leading to action.

I typically start my day with both a spiritual inspirational message (a daily devotional), and an inspiring business message. Both have practical application to my life.  Often I’ll share what I read with one of my friends, or I may post it on Facebook or Twitter.  Sharing it is one way of sustaining the inspiration.  I benefitted from it, and I share it so others will benefit from it.  I also attempt to incorporate what I learned from the lesson into my day. Until the inspiring words become habits in our lives, they will remain nice platitudes.

Here's an example of one of my daily inspirational messages from YouVersion.com.  This one is on the topic of encouragement:

Reading Plan:  Re Think Life: 40 Day Devotional
Day 31 out of 40:

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wish I had an unlimited supply of money so I could shower my family, friends and those in need with gifts?” Ironically each one of us has and unlimited supply of gifts that we can give, but most of the time we keep them all to ourselves! The gifts I am talking about are not physical gifts, but they are the gifts of encouraging words. The gift of an encouraging word can meet a need and bless a person more than any physical gift ever could.

Our encouraging words have the power to turn someone’s day around. They have the power to change someone’s attitude about life and about their eternity! Today look for opportunities to be generous with the gift of your encouraging words. Maybe it will be your co-worker, someone next to you in class or it might even be your child or your spouse that needs the gift of your words. Will you hold back or will you make the choice to be generous with your words?

TODAY’S PRAYER:
Father, I pray today that I will be very aware of the people around me that might need a word of encouragement to lift their spirit. I know that as I give away words of encouragement you will begin to meet my need to be encouraged in the process. Help me to focus on being generous with my words today. Help me to see the unlimited supply of gifts that I have to give to those around me.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

• For a more business oriented message, Click here for Barry Demp's daily inspirational message.
   
• Click here for Josh Linkner’s weekly business lesson on Friendly Leadership.
  
   

I received all three of these messages on the same day.  It’s always interesting to see how often my “random” lessons from different sources fit together. Some might view that as coincidence.  I view it as a message to me that I need to speak encouragement to others today.

I hope you’ll be inspired and take action from what you read, and perhaps you can share it with someone else who will do the same.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lori T. Williams is a 23 year attorney based in Birmingham, MI. She owns a legal referral and legal consulting business called Your Legal Resource, PLLC. She assists individuals and small businesses in need of legal advice or representation by connecting them with the right legal specialist for their situation. She also provides consulting services for attorneys and other professional service providers on how to generate more business through effective branding, marketing, networking, and by creating strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.bestlegalresource.com.