I stand before you today changed, having been rightfully accused of defaming the ninth letter of our alphabet. To make amends for my past transgressions against ‘I,’ let us turn our gaze toward its crowning achievement: “Inspiration.” It is a word that is most definitely not icky, irritating, or ill-favored. In truth, do we not all spend our lives hunting for that spark in our work, our play, and our most intimate relationships? To be labeled as ‘an inspiration’ is perhaps the ultimate compliment—the gold medal of human existence. I hereby offer my sincerest, most italicized apologies to all the noble words that begin with “I.”
Yet, while we are gathered here in this spirit of reconciliation: why do we so desperately crave that which “inspires”? Why do we cling to hope like a life raft? And—crucially—how on earth do we measure these invisible, shimmering attributes?
Perhaps, we desire inspiration because it is the cosmic bridge between “What Is” and “What Could Be.” Without it, we are simply high-functioning machines; with it, we are creators.
Inspiration is the ultimate escape artist. It pulls us out of the mundane mud of the ‘day-to-day’ and allows us to see possibilities that were previously hidden behind the curtain of routine. Unlike raw effort (which feels like pushing a boulder uphill), inspiration is something we receive. It pulls us forward, making even the most daunting tasks feel strangely effortless and deeply purposeful. Hope and inspiration are the high-octane gasoline of the human soul. They provide the energy to launch new ventures and the sheer stubbornness required to survive failures. Without them, the future looks like a dusty, repetitive loop; with them, it’s an open horizon.
We crave this “I” word because it represents the difference between merely existing and truly thriving. We don’t measure it in inches or pounds, but in the distance we travel between the person we are this morning and the person we aspire to be by sunset.
Thank you, Webb, for being a source of inspiration to me.
Thank you for following. W.