To have never found a person inspiring

[BigFishLittleFish10]

Chatting to DH today about growing up and people that have inspired me, professionally, creatively and generally. DH said that he honestly cannot think of a time in his entire life that he has been inspired by anyone. At all! He said that if someone was to inspire him that they would almost have to be not quite human etc.

Is this weird?

I find people fascinating and interesting, I’m inspired by late bloomers and general underdogs who achieve against the odds or achieve late in life/those from working class backgrounds who achieve success through tenacity and sheer determination/hard work.

Is it odd that he’s never been inspired in his entire life by ANYONE?

Yes it's odd.

Are you working from different definitions?

It sounds as though he’s overthinking the concept of being inspired, and thinking that “inspirational” as a concept and word implies something raptured and fervent. There will have been people in his life who have made him think “I’d like to have your ability / skills / attitude” or “I really rate some of the things you’ve done and they’ve made me think about whether I could do the same” but just doesn’t connect those feelings with what he perceives as a much grander concept of somebody being “inspirational” and almost super human.

I thought so 🙈 Literally couldn’t name one person, famous or ordinary that has inspired him in his whole life. His response didn’t surprise me but that’s another story! He seemed baffled!

Wait until he needs surgery, he’ll find his surgeon inspiring I can assure you! There are some wonderfully gifted, clever, life changing people out there, and not always from places or backgrounds you might think.

Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy (and his wife) are currently top of my list.

He needs to work in health and social care for a few years.

He’ll find numerous people inspiring.

I’m not sure. It’s not necessarily that you want to be like that person, it’s just their actions inspire certain actions in yourself. I’m inspired by hard work, creativity and determination. I don’t necessarily want to be exactly like that person but I admire and thus am inspired by their actions. I don’t know if I’d was confusing inspiration with literally wanting to be a certain person which he said he’s never wanted or coveted another persons traits.

What exactly do you mean by ‘inspired’, though? Do you mean thinking ‘Oh, X is cool for doing Y’ or ‘Reading up on them, looking up everything they’ve ever done, examining their techniques for achieving whatever’. It’s possible, as a pp said, you’re just working from different definitions.

I know exactly what he means to be honest. I find "inspirational" people very interesting, by and large (unless you poke their narrative a bit and it turns out to be a bit manufactured). But I can't say anyone's ever directly made me think, if you can do that so can I. Or, I want to follow your path. Their starting points are often too different from mine. What I need to do to get where I want to go is often completely different to what they needed to do.

I do sometimes think about Serena Williams when I'm losing a tennis match as a reminder not to give up but that's not quite the same thing!

I think this might be different views of the word inspired. I admire certain people, or have found them to be interesting or cool or have felt proud of them. However to me would need to have a direct impact on something I do for the better. Ie to say I was inspired by someone taking a risky career move, I'd have to have felt enough to then to something very similar myself.

I can’t say I’ve ever been ‘inspired’ to do something by any famous person. I can think of several I have huge admiration for.
The only people to have actually inspired me to do anything different would be very immediate family, maybe the odd friend.

Hmm possibly. Inspiration to me is active - for example it sets off a chain of events in another person- for example reading a news article about a woman who’s published her first novel in her later years might inspire the reader to begin their own creative writing journey?

I suspect he’s being a little bit curmudgeonly but I do wonder if you’re over-applying the term. You can admire someone without it actually making you change your behaviour which is what I think “inspiring” means.

I kind of understand what he means. I don't know if I can articulate it any better though as I've always struggled with this question.
I mean, yeah some people are cool, clever, kind and do great things and that's amazing but everyone has their flaws and dark sides. So, no people don't inspire me as such working from my definition. My definition is that you really look up to someone and almost want to embody some, if not all of their traits.

Does he struggle with empathy? Because I think being inspired often comes from that at its core.

I don't think I've ever been inspired by someone. I've certainly been impressed. Or envious! I'm amazed by some people. I look at some people's achievements and think they are amazing. But they haven't inspired me to make changes to my own life. Ben Fogle rowing across the Atlantic for instance, incredible achievement, but I'm still sat on the sofa...

There's certain characteristics I admire in people, but I'm not generally inspired by specific people either, because we all also have flaws.

I can't think of a single person who's inspired me either. I'm racking my brains but nobody is coming to mind.

Actually- I'm not sure this is what you meant - but my MIL inspired me to be a better mother and grandmother by her piss poor example of how not to be!

It must he this.

I've never found anyone 'inspiring' either. I might be impressed by someone or admire them but I've never been inspired by anyone.

I don't feel envious of people either though so I don't know if it's related.

I think it's a difference in your understanding of 'inspired'. A couple of people have mentioned surgeons &HCP.

I think my Surgeon (shoulder replacement after I completely smashed it up) was amazing removing a million fragments & putting in new parts, reattaching all the human parts. Etc etc

but I wouldn't say inspiring

unfortunately, not impressed with HCP's that I've had dealings with, except one & she was lovely. Really caring. I liked her, thought she was great, but how would I be inspired by her?!

I suppose the nearest to inspirational
person I can think of would have been my Dad. But I'd say he was 'a good role model' I admired what he'd achieved in his life & he was encouraging, but I wouldn't choose the word 'inspirational'.

I have never found anyone inspiring but I do admire people. I don’t believe anyone is wholly good or bad though so I could think of an act or achievement as inspiring but not a person.

Maybe it is do with the terminology, semantics and understanding. Maybe I understand it too literally.

For instance@Getitwright says they are inspired by Chris Hoy and his wife. But I wouldn’t definite it as inspiring. I admire their tenacity and resilience but I don’t perceive that as inspiring because that means that I hope to be able emulate that or similar. Until I am in a tragic position like theirs I cannot be inspired like that. Sorry @Getitwright for using you as an example.

I'm kind of with the DH on this...

To me, "inspiring" means an almost God-like devotion, staring in rapt and amazed attention.

There are plenty of people in my life who I've thought nice things about, and variations of "Oh, I wish I could X as well as Y." But I've been particularly "inspired" by them... But then again, personality-wise, I've always been a bit of a lone wolf and "marched to the beat of my own drum."

I guess I've never gone for that "that's amazing/incredible/unbelievable!" thing.

I admire people like Celia Hammond who had devoted much of her life to animals.

I'm not sure I've ever found anyone inspiring.

I've admired plenty of people though.

Oh you're meaning more like inspiring as a sort of muse/inspired you to take an action yourself?

If so, no I'm not sure I've ever been inspired to do something by someone else tbh