Anders Ericsson has reminded us of the value of hard work. The psychologist did the research that led to the so-called 10,000-hour rule (deliberate practice). He downplays the importance of native-born genius, such as people as Mozart. He emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice—painstaking exercises to perfect some skill. Dogged work is the prerequisite of success.

After the technical skills have been mastered—when the mind and spirit take flight, this we call moments of INSPIRATION. But what exactly is inspiration? When one is inspired, time disappears. The senses are amplified. There may be goose bumps or shivers down the spine, or a sense of being overawed by some beauty. There’s a thrilling feeling of elevation, a burst of energy, an awareness of enlarged possibilities. The person in the grip of inspiration has received, as if by magic, some new perception, some holistic understanding, along with the feeling that she is capable of more than she thought. There’s an instant vision, the lightning bolt of INSPIRATION.

Inspired work stands apart from normal life. In the first place it’s not about self-interest as normally understood. It’s not driven by a desire for money or status. The inspired person is driven intrinsically by the work itself. Your investment of time and effort (deliberate practice) prepares you for inspiration. It’s a beautiful contagion that passes through individuals. The word itself comes from the Latin inspirare, meaning “to breath into.”

Inspiration is not permanent and solid. And when it is gone people long for its return. When people are inspired, they are both humbled and self-confident, surrendering and also powerful. Hard work is really important for this achievement.

Categories: Article Review Philosophical Perspective

ron winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad has been a Perfumer and teacher for 46 years. As a perfumer, Ron has been able to express the world he sees through a rainbow of olfactive and emotive visions. As a teacher, Ron has helped others to see fragrance through his own multi sensorial lens.