"Ducks never say die."

Not just back, but back and in charge.  As in “my boss is off this week so now I'm the boss.”  And that's the extent of the excitement.  You reach a point where you realize that being the boss just means more Excedrin.  Today is Monday though, so instead of creating a headache, what we have is an illustration of a special source of inspiration.

The faith of others.

There was a wonderful line in A Town Like Alice when Noel and Jean are speaking and she says, "I only did what anyone would do," and he replies, "But the fact remains, my dear, that you did it."  When someone puts their faith in you, they believe that you are someone who will do it.  They don't know

Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack, Mr. Ducksworth!

what sort of struggle you may have going on inside your head - the doubt, the fear, the malaise that must be overcome, or even the bitterness of being imposed upon again to bake sixteen pies.  They only know that when push comes to shove, you will get it done.  That takes faith and to be asked means you have inspired that faith.  Take inspiration from that fact.

When I was growing up I was very fortunate to have people around me that encouraged me to try different things and to succeed and fail on my own, without the help of a naysaying peanut gallery.  I specifically remember one family picnic when I was 13.  It was decided by a few older members of the family that everyone should run the local 10k occurring the next month.  (I was probably the only one there who was completely sober.)  My uncle the runner/ring leader drew up a training plan (I was not a runner - 1/2 mile was my limit) that had me running the race route in three weeks with the race itself just four short weeks away.  "No problem," he said.  On the napkin it looked easy.  Just a couple of numbers a week and while they got bigger, they didn’t get that big.  Then the reality of being dropped off three, four, and six miles from home hit - I had to make it back on my own.  Or be eaten by a bear.

I did make it home.  On race day I was ready.  More than ready.  Won a trophy with a 52 minute elapsed time -  I don't remember the seconds.  I never thought I could run a 10k, never would have tried, but someone else (my uncle) had faith, insisted I could do it.  I chose to listen and was successful.  The rest of the family?  They, ah, didn't run (except said uncle.)  For whatever reason, they didn't take the inspiration that was handed to them – his faith that they could do it.

Don't squander your inspiration.  You don't need to be inspired about what to create, you already have a story to tell or you wouldn't want to be a writer.  Be inspired to do it.