Kay:
Hey there, Questers, and welcome back! This is Episode 176, and today is September 7th. Now, it is Labor Day, but something else really special happened on this day one decade ago…
Shi:
10 years ago, Wesley and Emerie, my boy/girl twins, were born! September 7, 2010, was the exact day they were born – which happened to be the day after Labor Day, that year. This year it is actual Labor Day…So, I was in labor this Labor Day, 10 years ago!
Kay:
Well, like any good parent knows, today’s quote goes, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
Shi:
This one comes from Thomas Edison, or as we like to call him…
Kay & Shi:
T. Eddie!
Shi:
He was an American inventor, of course, and a businessman. He was probably most famous for that light bulb, but he was influential in all kinds of different things. This quote here is an appropriate one for Labor Day, because of course by perspiration we’re talking hard work.
Kay:
Exactly. And, maybe not the hard work that Labor Day was invented to relieve, but hard work as in you want to get out there and be inspired, but also put your back into the things that you want – AKA: take action. I’m glad we got to talk about the twins, too, because any parent knows the 1% is the genius of early parenthood, when the kiddos first come out. The 1% is how cute they are and how good you feel, and then the 99% of your life, (the rest of it!) is all hard work…
Shi:
It’s super hard! I mean, the 1% of course makes it worth it, and sometimes maybe it’s even 10%, but it’s a lot of work and it’s relentless work, and then success is the same way, right? You start with inspiration…It starts with a spark. You can’t get to 100 if you don’t start at one, and that’s that 1% inspiration. But, the other 99 numbers on that timeline to get you to 100, are you taking the steps that aren’t necessarily always very glamorous, or the thing that you’re envisioning at the end of the road? It’s just those methodical, mechanical type things that can often be the hardest to stick to.
Kay:
I think one of the things that works against us in today’s culture is this idea that if you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in your life.
Shi:
Boo.
Kay:
That idea that you’ll just never “work”, because you’re just so happy, and this idea that you should be 100% of the time inspired for the work that you’re doing in order for it to be work worth doing. What many of us end up falling into is this trap of looking to be 100% inspired before we even take 1% of action. That level of conditioning that says I have to be 100% inspired before I’m going to take this action toward my dream leads us from program to program, from high to high, from one thing to the next in a search for the inspiration that’ll actually get us to do what we’re supposed to do, which is to take action.
Shi:
You know, we recently got to do the John Maxwell Team International Virtual Conference. And, in one of the speeches, John was talking about motivation being really kind of the force that pushes you towards things and inspiration being the force that pulls you towards things. I think, the more inspiration you have, the more pulled forward you can be, but I can tell you, even when I’m having the best runner’s high in the world, I’m still sweating…I’m still breathing hard…My knee is still hurting…I’m still counting my steps…I’m still paying attention to the time. And so, I think that’s really that 99% perspiration part of it. Like, the more inspiration you have, the more pulled forward you will feel, the more compelled you will feel, and your reasons become so much deeper than just that end of that picture, where the success is. Which, I think, is super important. Because, when you’re along the way – around step 40 and step 65 – you’re like, “Dang.”
Kay:
…”I’ve taken a lot of steps.”
Shi:
And, there’s still MORE steps to go! With life and goals, you don’t know what step is number 100, right? There is not always a set plan for something, and so that can be really hard, too. So, the key is really continuing to stay inspired, so you can get through that 99% of perspiration.
Kay:
Well, T. Eddie famously had to attempt to create the light bulb time and time again, before he actually figured out how to harness the power of electricity and bring it into people’s homes. He is living proof that you can be inspired for something, but that it will also take work to bring that vision to life. He got inspired by the idea of bringing electricity from the outside into the inside in a safe manner. But, it took him so much perspiration to actually make that inspiration come to life…So, if you’ve got big dreams, expect big work!
Shi:
BIG perspiration! So, just to remind you, T. Eddie told us, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” And, that brings us to today’s quest! Now, of course, it’s a labor quest. Today, we want you to put in at least five minutes of perspiration towards something that you want to achieve, or something that you’re inspired by. Maybe you’re working towards that marathon… Maybe it’s perspiration towards cleaning out your garage, or maybe it’s something in between. But, give yourself five minutes of perspiration, and feel the inspiration inside of you get cultivated even more! Are you ready?
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
Shi:
Happy Birthday, twins!
