How To Inspire
Two graduate schemes asked me to explain a moment where I inspired someone. It’s a hard thing to describe, but here’s how to inspire.
‘Tell your story’
‘Tell us a time where you have inspired someone’
By the way you only have 30 seconds to prepare and 3 minutes to speak for.
What have you got?
I froze.
Unaware of my ability to inspire, motivate, encourage.
Even as I write this, I’m unable to quite understand it.
But I think the times where I’ve received an unexpected message of positivity or that someone has been inspired has come from this blog.
I write it everyday.
Without fail.
I don’t think that’s inspiration.
I don’t think what I write makes people become inspired.
I don’t know quite what does.
But I think it’s the fact that they can learn about me, awkwardness-free.
Connect with me in a way that wouldn’t be possible in public.
Maybe that inspires them.
Who knows.
Increasingly, I’m receiving messages or words of support from people that I know and interact with all the time but never would’ve expected them to read or take something from this yearlong project of mine.
I’m still very awful at accepting praise on character.
Because I don’t see this as work.
So I can’t nicely file it into that.
It’s separate.
The question for the graduate scheme was difficult.
I did exactly what I do on my blog.
I was honest.
I said that this is a difficult question because while I consider myself an aware person, I’m more aware of the negative than the positive.
I said that I lead by example.
And that I think that has inspired others.
Being myself has been the best tool.
I know how to write, everyone does.
I just do it once every 24 hour cycle.
My writing probably has gotten better, but my ideas have become more developed and more intricate.
I can tell a better story.
My story.
I can tell my story.
Because I can’t let anyone else say my words and my journey.
I think inspiration is finite.
It lasts for a minute.
I don’t aim to inspire anyone.
I aim to share my story.
In the hope of gaining some public speaking skills or to resolve some personal insecurities.
I’m still insecure about a whole host of things.
My social interactions with the other sex.
My social status.
My hatred of conflict.
My anxiety.
All these things haunt me, continue to bother me, and keep me in check.
It’s good to have insecurities.
Because you’ll know how you can articulate those when you’re asked.
But inspiration.
I don’t think I do that.
At least I don’t do it actively.
I’m very much myself.
Myself.
Someone who is unaware when they inspire or motivate.
So how do you inspire?
I guess it comes down to you.
What sort of person are you?
What sort of people gravitate to you?
Do you raise them up or do they raise you?
Are you willing to work harder than anyone around you, even if it’s all in your head and they’re actually working harder?
Can you lead by example?
Or are you just talk?
I have the experience of leading by example.
Because I realised a long time ago that no-one believes your words.
The only reason people take note of this blog is that it’s in their face every single day.
My words now have weight.
If I skipped a day, it would lose complete integrity.
So I don’t know how to inspire.
But I do know how to live my own life and tell my story.
How to inspire