Forget Inspiration

Adrian S. Potter
3 min readAug 17, 2021

Habit is more dependable.

Photo by Shiromani Kant on Unsplash

The Secondhand Inspiration Project begins with a motivational quote and ventures wherever the creative path meanders.

“Forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.” — Octavia Butler

Somebody who I mentor recently put me on the spot with a doozy of a question. “What three habits can transform my life and career completely?”

Wow. What a question. If you ask a hundred professionals this, you might come away with 300 different insights.

I am not pretending my answers were groundbreaking or complex. They could even be considered surprisingly simple. But too many folks dive into complicated methods to find success. Often mastering the basics can yield great results.

Here are three habits that might transform a life or career. These are only a starting point based on my experience. But by taking these on, you will likely discover other behaviors that will help in your metamorphosis along the way.

1. Volunteer for things — sometimes even for tasks you would rather avoid.

If you raise your hand to volunteer, you are almost always asked to do more.

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Adrian S. Potter

Antisocial Extrovert · Writer and Poet, Engineer, Consultant, Public Speaker · Writing about self-improvement, gratitude, and creativity · www.adrianspotter.com