Inspiration isn’t transformation

The Buddha found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

But there was no magic in the tree.

The tree was simply a source of inspiration. The breakthrough came from the Buddha’s work—years spent in deep meditation.

The world is full of inspiration. But the work is always an inside job.

We can be inspired by a beautiful tree, a visit to a café, a stroll through a bookstore. But inspiration becomes transformation only when we act—put pen to paper, fingers to keys, brush to canvas, butt to meditation cushion.

Buddha captured this when he told his disciples:

Be lamps unto yourselves.

Notice, he didn’t say, "Stand in the light of the world." That would have been just as inspiring, but not transformative.

The artist takes in the world and returns something of their own making.

To be a lamp unto ourselves means putting in the work required to power our own creative electricity from the inside out.

And in the process, making the world a brighter and more inspiring place.

When was the last time you turned inspiration into action and turned on your own light?