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Renowned American visual artist Chuck Close once famously declared, “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.” This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. While Close’s words resonate with art, they also offer insights into health and wellness. In the blog, I’ll help you understand why waiting for inspiration could be crippling our wellness journeys. And, I’ll offer a better approach to accomplishing our health goals.
In our pursuit of better health and wellness, it’s common to wait for the perfect moment or ideal motivation to kickstart our efforts. How often have we delayed exercising? How long have we put off eating healthier? If you’re anything like me, the answer is: a lot! Reflecting on Close’s perspective, I began to question my approach to well-being. How much progress was I sacrificing by waiting for a surge of motivation? How many self-improvement chances did I miss by hesitating instead of acting consistently?
With a therapist’s help, I realized my feelings were often steering me off course. This awareness led my therapist and me to start detaching actions from feelings and reattaching them to the disciplines for my wellness goals. My therapist stressed doing the necessary work regardless of feelings, assuring that consistent effort would pay off. This shift marked the start of intentional, disciplined living, replacing fleeting motivation with consistency and commitment.
Before long, I realized that waiting for inspiration, especially in personal health and wellness, was counterproductive. While inspiration got me started, it couldn’t sustain my efforts. Can you relate? Have you waited for inspiration that didn’t provide lasting momentum?
Take my experience as an avid long-distance runner, for example. Each time I sign up for races of 13 miles or longer, I am initially filled with enthusiasm and dreams of crossing the finish line triumphantly. The thrill of preparing for the race—buying new shoes, clothes, and training aids—adds to the excitement. On race day, surrounded by thousands of fellow runners, the atmosphere is electric with adrenaline.
As the countdown begins and the race starts, the urge to sprint is strong, despite warnings against starting too fast. Within the first mile, it’s clear that maintaining this pace risks the entire race plan. The initial motivation quickly fades.
Mid-race, as excitement wanes, reality sets in. Strained body, doubting mind—the drive forward comes from discipline, sticking to the plan despite challenges.
I share this scenario to illustrate a fundamental truth: relying solely on motivation or inspiration is insufficient for achieving our goals, particularly in health and fitness. It’s discipline—the ability to stay focused and committed to doing the work even when the going gets tough—that ultimately carries us across the finish line, both in races and in life’s endeavors.
Consistent action leads to tangible results: increased energy, improved mood, and physical changes. This motivation stems from real progress, not fleeting inspiration. Chuck believed in the power of consistent effort to fuel inspiration—a lifestyle shift. In my running journey, it’s not just starting races that motivates me; it’s the satisfaction of finishing them and improving each time. This goal drives healthier choices—eating well, sleeping better, and overall wellness.
For you, it may be something else entirely. Maybe your lifestyle goals are centered around family or travel stamina. You want to be more active in grandkids’ lives. You want to enjoy vacations or retirement travel! Or, perhaps you want to move about your normal sphere of life without the discomfort of joint pain. Whatever it is, in most cases, doing is better than merely observing. Playing with your grandkids is a richer experience than simply watching them. Hiking a renowned mountain is different from hearing about it or watching it. Actually feeling and moving well during these experiences inspire the desire to improve. And improvement fueled by doing the work actively paves the way for a healthier, more fulfilling life.
In conclusion, let’s pause and reflect on how we can apply Close’s philosophy to our own lives and get unstuck in our wellness journey. Are we waiting for motivation to strike before taking the necessary steps towards better health? What actions can we commit to each day to nourish our bodies, minds, and spirits? By consistently showing up and putting in the effort, we pave the way for lasting well-being and a more fulfilling life.
No matter where you are in your wellness journey, envision the canvas of your health as a blank slate awaiting your brushstrokes. What colors will you use—persistence, dedication, and self-care? With these tools, what masterpiece will you create? The path to optimal health is yours to journey, and every stroke of discipline and intention brings you closer to a healthier, happier existence.
Be Well,
Cedric Mclean,
PFC Digital Marketing Manager
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