"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." Winston Churchill
After posting a tribute to Thomas Leonard, the founder of coaching as we know it today, it reminded me of an exercise from a workshop years ago.
The first question asked us to list those that we admire (dead or alive).
My list began with Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Winston Churchill, JFK, and several others.
Essentially, they inspire me. They motivate, encourage, enthuse, awaken me simply by being who they naturally are. In our minds, there is something so special about those people that they elevate our thinking and our actions.
The second question asked us to find the qualities they had in common - a common thread. In every instance these were people who believed in something, followed their heart, and stood their ground for what they believed to be true despite any obstacles or adversity. They went after what they wanted with passion. They had a vision, a dream, an ideal, and worked towards making it materialize.
Thomas Leonard told me "You don't need motivation if you have inspiration." Inspiration means the act or power of exciting the intellect or emotions to action, divine guidance and influence on human beings. On a practical level, it is a feeling, a sense when someone or something touches us, resonates, encourages, stirs us to think bigger.
When we feel inspired, we are driven, automatically motivated to move forward and take action. We don't need reminders.
”Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” Robert Kennedy
For the last 18 years, a friend expressed a desire to conclude his Master's degree. At the age of 51, not only did he achieve it, but also chose to devote six years to simultaneously pursuing a PhD. His determination is indescribable. The obstacles seemed insurmountable. He managed a business and moved its location while in school full time. His one-year internship was in another state so he commuted home on weekends to work 14-16 hour days to keep his business going.
While it's obvious that one can admire the stamina and determination, more importantly, it's the pure inspiration that resonates. It proves that if we set our minds to do something we really want, no matter how difficult or daunting, or improbable it may seem, it is possible. When we encounter people who inspire us, aside from WHAT they have done, there is something about their 'being' that resonates. We identify with their passion and appreciate their courage and determination.
There's a lot of buzz around the Blue Ribbon Movie. It started as such a simple concept by one elementary school teacher and has touched thousands of lives. That teacher didn't start out wanting something in return, nor did she ever imagine the impact she would create. Her concept is so basic -- make other people feel good about themselves. She just noticed how people feel bad about themselves, especially young children at school, and decided to change that.
Without giving away the 6-minute video, the impact and the ripple affect of her modest idea inspired people all over the world to make other people feel good about themselves. The inspiration comes from recognizing how someone believed in something and made it a reality that impacts humanity.
Almost 2 million people are talking about Randy Pausch -"the dying man who taught America how to live." (76 minutes) Even those who have already viewed the video can still be moved to tears with this man's story. In his 40's, diagnosed with terminal cancer, he chose to leave a legacy for his young children by speaking to them (through video) about living life fully. It is so inspiring because of our ability to identify with his plight, hear the truth in his message, and admire his positive attitude. It causes us to question what would we do if we knew we only had a finite amount of time left?
Inspiration comes in many forms but characteristically has common elements. Someone or something affects our perspective.
INVITATION TO EXPERIMENT
--What is the difference between these people and you?
--What is holding you back from following your passion and becoming inspiration for someone?
When we truly believe in ourselves and follow our heart, there is no place for fear, no thinking. We merely follow what we believe is true and right for us. Once we allow the doubts to take over, we stifle our enthusiasm, and we know what those results look like.
What is your dream, strong desire, that you haven't gone after because it seems impossible?
If you feel inclined, please let me know if you decide to go ahead and try this experiment. I would love to hear about your experiences. Your feedback and comments have been most welcomed:-) Keep them coming!!
Very best regards,
marion@lifecoachinggroup.com
(c) 2004-08. All rights reserved. Marion Franklin, www.lifecoachinggroup.com
Comments? Feedback? lllfeedback@lifecoachinggroup.com
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