To inspire is to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something. It also means to breathe in air; inhale.
Being inspiring is a big goal for me. It is part of my personal credo: "I use my positivity, individualization, and communication skills to inspire others to recognize the potential within themselves so they make choices that enable them to lead purposeful and satisfying lives." It's what I try to do here on the blog.
Being inspired is also a goal. Sometimes I'm so focused on what I'm working on and what's on my to-do list that I don't pay a lot of attention to everyone else. But when I look around, inspiration is everywhere.
Last week I taught the First Impressions module for the Launch Pad program at BCCC. After the program, one of the students thanked me for my presentation and then made my day in a most unusual way. She explained that she had made cookies as a birthday gift for a friend, but the friend didn't come to school that day and they wouldn't see each other again for several days. She asked if I would like the bag of cookies. These cookies were beautiful - shaped like tea bags, they were Earl Grey flavored, dipped in chocolate. They had little handcrafted tea bag tags on them too. They were as delicious as they were beautiful. I was inspired by both her baking skills (I have none!) and her kindness (to her friend and to me). It brought me great joy throughout the afternoon.
That night I watched Stasia Savasuk's TEDx Portsmouth talk called "Change your pants, change your life." It blew me away. As a speaker, I am inspired by the way she crafted and delivered her message. Her hard work and tremendous practice were evident. She makes me want to speak better. As a mother, I am inspired by the way she learned to accept that her daughter didn't want to fit into a certain box. She makes me want to parent better. And I am inspired by her Instagram posts; she helps me understand what she calls inside-out congruency and she helps me feel better about my body. She inspires me several days a week without even knowing it.
There's inspiration everywhere, if you are open to it. Breathe it in.
Be inspired.
Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash
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