Human beings are fascinating creatures. We need connection, we need purpose, and we need meaning. Connection, purpose and meaning are like the spices that bring out the flavour in our life; without them, everything is bland and somewhat ho-hum. Life devolves into going through the motions, and when life goes through the motions, so do we. We personally begin to suffer, and every aspect of our life, including our professional endeavours, takes a hit because of it. You can even become lacklustre and very reasonable.
Beware the soul sucking force of reasonableness.
Chip and Dan Heath
To be reasonable is to life a small life. Ask yourself this question… Have you ever been inspired by anyone living a small and reasonable life? Reasonable is the middle ground, the centre of the bell curve; it’s where average lives, and it’s predictable. It’s also very dull, and above all, it is soul destroyingly safe!
The first person you ever have to work on inspiring is the person in the bathroom mirror. If you can’t inspire yourself, you have Buckley’s chance of making a lasting impression on anyone else.
Ispirare is the root word of the English word inspire and literally means to breathe life into, animate and enliven. We are all energy and physics (and the law of thermodynamics) tells us that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy is simply transferred or transformed into something else. I’ve certainly been in a room where the energy was electric, and I’ve been uplifted by the words and conversation of someone inspiring. It’s just as easy for that to work the other way. When we leave another’s presence drained of energy and totally depleted, it’s like we have the life force sucked away.
So whose job is it to inspire you?
It’s your job and yours alone. That’s what it means to be 100% responsible for your own experience of life. Here’s the kicker, it’s also your job to inspire those around you without expecting them to do the same. Of course, it feels good when inspiration does come back to us, and those around us are just as willing to inspire us as they are to be inspired by us.
Just don’t expect it.
What would your life look like if you could always count on being the one to inspire yourself no matter what situation you found yourself in? How would you feel, and how would others regard you?
Could it be that part of the secret to inspiring, impacting and influencing those around you is to make it your job to always be inspired?
I want to BE that version of myself. How about you?
For more information on harnessing your inspiration, go to https://andreia.solutions/book-a-chat-with-tanja/