60: Stop Waiting for Inspiration ( It's Not Coming)

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Welcome to the With Intention weekly newsletter where I share ideas & learnings to help you live & lead with intention

At a glance:

• Essay: Stop waiting for inspiration
• Quote: 9 o'clock
• Visual: Create your inspiration

Stop Waiting for Inspiration (It's Not Coming)

Here's what 25 years in sales and leadership taught me that most people get backwards: You don't wait for inspiration...you create it.

I get this question constantly about writing my book: "How did you find inspiration to write?"

The honest answer? I didn't.

Steven Pressfield nails this in The War of Art. There is no muse coming to rescue you. Ryan Holiday echoes the same truth. And after years of struggling with this myself, I've learned they're absolutely right.

But here's the thing: This isn't just about writing. This mirrors everything in life.

We've Got It Backwards

Too many of us let our feelings dictate our actions. We wait to feel motivated before we take action. We wait to feel confident before we step up. We wait to feel inspired before we create.

I've learned we need to flip this script entirely. Let your actions dictate your feelings, not the other way around.

Confidence doesn't happen from sitting around hoping it shows up. A hole doesn't get dug by praying over a shovel. Look, I'm a big faith guy—my faith foundational to everything I do—but too many people rely solely on faith without doing the work.

Trust God, absolutely. But also get your hands dirty.

W. Somerset Maugham had the right idea: "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp."

No magic formula. Just showing up.

The Unseen Hours (My Son's Story)

I see this lived out every single day through my son Gabe's basketball journey, and it's been one of the most powerful lessons in systematic authenticity I've witnessed.

Five years ago, Gabe barely made his 7th grade team. The coach actually pulled me aside and suggested he should focus on soccer instead. Honestly? That stung. Not just for Gabe, but for me as his dad.

But here's what that coach didn't see, what most people miss about real transformation.

Gabe didn't wait to feel like a basketball player. He went to work. Hours in our driveway when it was just him and the hoop. Solo sessions at the park when no one else was around. Training in empty gyms.

Not because he felt motivated every single day, but because he understood something most adults haven't figured out yet: Excellence happens in the darkness, in the unseen hours, when nobody's watching and nobody's cheering.

And guess what? This year, he's walking into his high school season as a key player on what I fully expect to be a state-title contending team in Ohio.

Am I proud of him? Absolutely. But not just for the basketball success. I'm proud because he embodies what I teach every executive I work with: vulnerability-to-strength transformation through systematic action.

He took what could have been crushing feedback and turned it into fuel. That's the stuff champions are made of, both on the court and in the boardroom.

It's All Connected

I watched the same principle with my daughter recently getting her driver's license.  Passing the maneuverability test didn't happen by accident. Hours of practice. Repetition. Systematic skill development.

Stuff doesn't just happen. You do the work.

Every time I step on stage to give a speech or lead a workshop, I'm reminded of this truth. People see the "inspired" moment, the flow, the connection with the audience. What they don't see are the many, many hours beforehand...creating, crafting, rehearsing, thinking, redoing, fine-tuning. The magic happens because of preparation, not in spite of it.

That's cross-domain innovation in action. The principles that make championship teams don't stop working when you put on a business suit.

Your Nine O'clock Sharp Moment

Here's what I know after 25 years: The leaders who consistently outperform aren't the ones waiting for lightning to strike. They're the ones creating the conditions where breakthrough becomes inevitable.

So here's your framework:

Pick one area where you've been waiting for motivation. Just one. Maybe it's that difficult conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's the business idea you keep talking about but never start. Maybe it's the fitness routine you'll begin "when you feel ready."

Schedule your nine o'clock sharp moment. Same time, every day. Non-negotiable. Not because you feel like it, but because systematic authenticity requires showing up especially when you don't.

Commit to 30 days of unseen hours. Do the work when no one's watching. That's where real transformation happens.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but only when we stop letting our feelings run the show and start using intentional action to create the change we're seeking.

Because here's the truth most people don't want to hear: Inspiration isn't coming to save you. But the good news? You don't need it.

You just need to show up.

With intention,
Jon

What's your nine o'clock sharp commitment going to be? Hit reply and let me know—I read every response.

Create your inspiration

Source: Janis Ozolins

Until next week!

Jon Giganti 

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