Wayne Dyer on Motivation vs. Inspiration

Wayne Dyer

Wayne Dyer is an inspirational speaker, not a motivational speaker. There is a big difference. Look at it like this. Self improvement can happen in two ways: 1. Through motivation such as rewards, suffering, fear or a constant "pumping yourself up"; and 2. Through inspiration - which is the feeling you get when you are tapped in to your greatest sense of self and purpose. Motivation is like getting advice from someone about how to live your life. The best self improvement advice we can give you is "don't rely on self improvement advice from anyone else". Instead, take the time to find that inner voice that can truly inspire you without the need for external motivation.

I'm not saying that you can't learn from others experiences or that it's useless to get input from others. Here's a perfect example of listening to someone else. Wayne Dyer has explained the difference between motivation and inspirationso well that we wanted to include his words below. I've had this quote sitting around for a long time and have unfortunately forgotten the source from which I pulled this from. Let me know if you recognize it.

Wayne Dyer Answers "What is the Difference Between Motivation and Inspiration?"

Wayne Dyer: It is very hard to enroll people in anything. And there is a very big difference between the words motivate and inspire. Motivation means we have an idea and we are going to carry through on that idea. We work hard at it, and we are disciplined. A highly motivated person takes an idea, goes out there, and won't let anybody interfere with them. Inspiration is exactly the opposite. If motivation is when you get hold of an idea and carry it through to its conclusion, inspiration is the reverse. An idea gets hold of you and carries you where you are intended to go.

Arthur Miller, one of our greatest playwrights, died in February. He once was asked, "Are you writing another play?" His answer really intrigued me. He said, "I don't know, but I probably am." This brilliant man was saying, in a sense, that it really was not up to him. The word inspired comes from being in spirit, accessing a force out there. Patanjali said when you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations. Your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, wonderful world. Patanjali also said dormant forces, faculties, and talents - things you thought were inaccessible and unavailable to you - come alive when you are inspired. You discover yourself to be a far greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

Q - Can you encourage inspiration in others?

Wayne Dyer: When you are connected in that way, everyone around you is inspired. What it takes to reach this place I'm speaking about is to be in spirit. You shift who you are away from what you have, what you do, what your reputation is, what people think of you, and all of that ego-based thinking. You shift into the understanding that who you are is a piece of God - who you are is a piece of the source - and when you stay connected to that in your thoughts you inspire others to do the same. So, it's really about modeling it and letting people know you are an inspired person, a person who is in spirit, and then those forces that Carl Jung called synchronicity begin to show up and, lo and behold, the universe provides for you.