Theoretically, finding inspiration on a college campus might seem like an easy thing to do. The truth, however, remains that finding inspiration is one of the hardest tasks college students struggle with.

When we think of “inspiration,” we think of an effortless process. It happens when something just clicks when we are exposed to a certain stimulus.

Before inspiration happens, a certain amount of reflection is usually due. Receptiveness to new information is inhibited by a busy mind and an unflinching attachment to electronic devices.

With students’ responsibilities growing at such rapid speed, students have no time to sit and reflect on their days or surroundings.

If students are not occupied with their studies, work, family or social lives, then they are probably sitting on their couches or beds, unwilling to engage in any thought-stimulating activity – understandably so. They need their rest.

Finding inspiration, therefore, becomes one more things students can add to their to-do list.

Another factor inhibiting students’ abilities to become inspired is the routine most are sucked into.

While adhering to a specific schedule keeps students organized and on track, it also confines them to a familiar environment, one that is not likely to offer them anything they’re not already used to.

It’s a viscious circle. Professors and students alike want to inspire each other, but the process becomes hard when time and duties are taken into consideration.

The result of this is a future generation of students who are unwilling and unable to think and reflect, not because they don’t want to, but because they’re rushed into more mundane, habitual tasks.