Few years ago, my wife, Shohreh, and I attended a leadership seminar. One of the speakers was Liz Murray. She is known as Homeless to Harvard: a homeless girl from New York whose hard work and commitment guided her to achieve her dream by getting a scholarship from Harvard University. Liz’s life story was so inspiring and powerful that it affected many in the audience, including us. Her message was simple: “Don’t delay your dreams; take action now.”
During that half-hour speech, Liz inspired us to take action to fulfill our dreams. She inspired me not to delay my dream in starting my own business. She inspired Shohreh to think of bringing Liz to Canada to share her inspiring story with the rest of the employees in her company as well as the homeless people in Edmonton. Shohreh and two of her colleagues persuaded their top management to finance the event in spite of the economic crisis, and they brought Liz to Canada for the first time. Liz came to Edmonton, Canada and shared her story and her inspiring message with over five hundred people. You see how an inspiring person can inspire others to take action and make a difference?
Although everyone has the potential to inspire others, we can’t inspire everyone. In other words, your thoughts, words, actions, and behaviors may inspire me but not the person beside me. The main reason is that we are at different levels of consciousness and see the world from our own perspective. We are inspired when we are ready and in the right place at the right time with the right person for the right reason. God is the only One who can inspire everyone.
The following points are ways in which you can inspire others:
• Inspiring others begins with the self. So be self-inspired, self-empowered, and passionate about what you say, what you do, and what you think. When you are connected with your true self and the Source, others can connect with the real you and become inspired.
• Be honest, truthful, kind, and humble toward others; be yourself. When you are yourself, you let others be themselves. You help them become real. When people become authentic, inspiration is more likely.
• Relate yourself to people emotionally so they can feel that you are one with them. Be loving yet detached toward people. Be compassionate. Share your stories with them so that they can tune their energy level and frequency to yours. Be vulnerable so people will feel that you are also a human being who can make mistakes. Yet be determined so they will feel that they can achieve great things through hard work and perseverance.
• Appreciate others from the bottom of your heart. Tell them what you would love to tell them and mean what you tell them. The best kind of appreciation is to be there for people when they need you, to give them a hand, and to make them smile. Let them know that you care. Recognize and appreciate people’s kindness, care, trust, support, and help in achieving your dreams and vision. This recognition empowers their soul to recognize their true selves, break their boundaries and limiting beliefs, and soar to an inspirational level.
• Have a positive attitude in any situation. Combine your positive attitude with a sense of humor so that people can look at your face and get energized when they face difficult situations. By transmitting positive energy, you inspire people even when no words are said. Silence is the seed of inspiration, which is why effective pauses become inspiring moments in many conversations.
• Have respect for everyone no matter what they look like, where they are from, and what they do. See them as souls rather than physical bodies. When you do this, you become peaceful and kind toward them. You listen to them with full attention, and they will realize that you are there to serve them. They will feel relaxed, welcomed, and uplifted and will respect you and trust you fully. Full respect and trust create inspiring moments in people’s lives.
• Be present. By being present, you disconnect from past and future and become free from the trap of wasteful thoughts. You become the real you and live in the moment, leaving worry, fear, tension, and guilt behind. You will enjoy every minute of life and will become able to touch others at their soul level and inspire them to be present. You can strive to become fully present through meditation, silent practice, and mind control.
Note that inspiring others does not need effort. It should come naturally. There is no such thing as “I tried to inspire them.” Inspiring others does not take place as long as you make an effort. Inspiration comes from within. Your role as an inspiring person or leader is to be an instrument for someone else to get back in-Spirit and become inspired on his or her own.
Now go and inspire others!
