Being Inspired
We are driven to observe, imitate and compare to other people, because it enables us to learn how to behave.
From birth, we copy the behaviour of people that we see being rewarded because we desire receiving the same positive reinforcement. We seek motivation from observing their successes and failures, learning from their mistakes and being inspired by their wins.
As we become increasingly socially aware and gain a better understanding of who we are (value: understanding myself), we become more considered in who we select as role models.
Accordingly, we tend to imitate those who have a position in society that we find inspiring or aspirational, or people who are similar to us (or that we perceive as similar) because it feels personally achievable.
In times of uncertainty, we look to other people for guidance, inspiration or motivation for our own behaviour, and as such other people become our role models. They provide an important behavioural template for reaching our goals, and further inspire us with new ideas, goals or possibilities which may challenge us. This can influence our ambitions, choices, and achievements.
Feeling inspired is beneficial on a number of levels. It motivates us to act on our ideas and inspires us to bring our visions to life.
Research demonstrates links to increased creativity, boosting performance, and greater life satisfaction. Being open to experiences and being inspired tend to go hand in hand; people who are particularly open to new experiences tend to feel inspired more frequently, and feeling inspired increases the feeling of openness.
Want to learn more?
Read all the details, including how this value presents itself through who we are, what we have, do and need, in our Human Values Research Paper.