WE DON’T INTENTIONALLY MAKE PEOPLE INSPIRED – IT HAPPENS NATURALLY

We think about intentionally trying to make others happy, but we don’t really think about intentionally inspiring other people. In marketing, brands may try to inspire their customers, but if they are not authentically inspired themselves, it’s impossible to fool others into being inspired with fake inspiring content. 

Being inspired starts within us as an expression of our true selves, acting on the desire to honor ourselves. If others also get inspired, that can be an exciting bonus, but we don’t need others to be inspired.

Think about when you’ve been inspired by someone:

• Did he or she engage in their activity or cause to convince someone else or simply because they were acting authentically by speaking or acting from their true selves?
• Was this person’s action driven by the need to impress other people or instead motivated by what they are passionate about?
• If you disapproved, would they have quit?
• If 50, or 100, or 1,000 people disapproved, would they have quit?

Inspiration starts with doing something we love so much that it naturally attracts others. Being inspired, ironically, doesn’t stem from a strategy or need to influence other people, and yet inspiration can’t help but inspire other people. Being inspired doesn’t stem from low self worth or needing validation. It’s fueled by the strength, conviction and certainty of one’s true self. It’s genuine from where it originates and how it’s shared, and it’s equally genuine when others respond by being inspired.

When someone gets inspired by you, it is pure and without motive. Just like when you are inspired and share that feeling. Your true self has connected with another’s true self through shared inspiration, and this creates one of the most moving and powerful connections possible.