The bottom line: Be worth inspiring and you will inspire others without you even knowing it. Easy said but like any other endeavor or goal, the “how” aspect is not as easy.
Have you ever set the goal to stand as an inspiration to other people? There are diverse motivations why people would like to inspire others. For some, it is about becoming famous. Others, it is about setting a guiding light to other people. Still others do it for self fulfillment and self actualization.
What inspires others?
Yearn to give the answer to this question and you are almost there to reach your goal. Detach from yourself and envision the qualities that are truly inspiring. Evaluate yourself if you posses these qualities. When you were young, have you been dreaming to be one of the characters of a story you read or heard about or perhaps a movie that you watched? Why did that particular person touch your life?
Qualities Of An Inspiring Person
Perseverance
People who became successful or people who are notable are those who did not give up their struggle or endeavor even if many or almost everybody says that it is impossible. These are the people who believe in miracles but at the back of their mind, they know that miracles do not just fall from the heavens – it needs work and effort. Success stories are backed with a lot of failures along the way. The more previous failures a success has gone through, the sweeter it is to reap the success and the more inspiring that story would turn out to be.
Positive thinker
Positive thinking is not all about projecting that the outcome will be favorable. It is about working hard for that outcome to materialize and tackling failures along the way. Positive thinking and perseverance goes hand in hand.
The power of positive thinking cannot be exaggerated but at the same time, should not be ignored. Heroes, in their times of grief, difficulty or struggles hold a positive outlook which has driven them to move along and reach their goals. On the other hand, positive thinking should not be used as a scapegoat. There are people who treat positive thinking as their way out of a problem or concern that they are facing. This is disastrous if uncoupled with action and perseverance. We are talking here of people who will just say: “Everything will be fine”. Then they sit down and ignore the problem.
Knowledgeable and Wise
Knowledge and wisdom are common denominators possessed mostly by people who have stood as inspiration to others. They possess or yearned to acquire broad knowledge of the particular field that they subsequently became known for. The process of gaining knowledge may be bitter but the fruit is sweet. Learning requires much – time, effort and sacrifice. They are those who may have sacrificed their own sake just to gain particular information that is now shared with other people.
Wisdom in the use of knowledge is equally important. Misuse of knowledge lands you on the opposite side of where you want to be. Instead of becoming an inspiration, you become an example of what should not be followed or idolized.
Open Minded
People who inspire others are open-minded. They have the ability to listen to various ideas even if they know some of that information already. Remember, no one holds the monopoly of brilliant and or noble ideas.
Being open-minded does not entail considering every idea that is laid on the table. It is about recognizing that other ideas may be good options without wasting too much time dealing with every single idea. Being open-minded should be tempered with the ability to screen out what may and may not work.
Keen observer
Not everyone is sensitive of what is going on, what needs to be change and how to change it. If you wish to inspire others, you need to solve a particular problem. Successful and famous people had been sharp at identifying the problem/s that exists. It is about looking into the root cause; digging deeper.
Action Oriented
Any of the aforementioned qualities are useless if there is no action taken. You inspire others by taking the path of going through pain and reaching your goal. You do something about a problem and solve it.
If you have all of the above qualities, you still may not be capable of inspiring others without a very important factor – you should be inspired yourself. Said a million times, you cannot share what you do not have.
Inspire yourself to make a difference in a positive way, to do some great things or perform some little actions that makes a great impact, and you will be able to inspire others.
Readers, what are the attributes of inspiring people you admire the most? When was the last time you inspired someone?
Photo Credit: Sam, Islas Mujeres, 2010.
Note: We’ll be hosting our first Yakezie Chat on Twitter this Wednesday, August 17th at 6pm PST / 9pm EST. We’ll be using the hashtag #YakChat. We figured after working hours is best because most all of us work.
Thanks for going over the qualities of an inpiring person. I know I’ll have to brush up on a few things! :)
You’re welcome Derek. Believe me, I have some things to work on too. I do think though that having a positive influence on others is an awesome way to live one’s life. Hopefully we can both do a bit of good in this world in our lifetime.
A very inspiring post. Thanks.
Thanks. That is the result I was hoping for.
There are so many people that inspired and encouraged me when times were getting tough. I hope to return the favor when opportunity arises.
Glad to hear Charles. I think returning the favour is a great idea. For me, my grandmother has been my inspiration. Without her wisdom and encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I was just in the grocery store the other day, and I saw a daughter and a father together work at a check out line. They were laughing and chatting. They are an inspiration to me. That’s what it’s all about. Making do with what you have and spending time with each other!
People who never give up and never complain are the most inspiring people imo.
Sam
You are so right Sam. That is what life is all about;making the best of things. I agree that there are too many people who forget how to do this and dwell too much on the negative. Thanks for your story and for reminding us what is important.
Surely complaints are valid some of the time? ;) But true, they unleash so much negative energy and in the end don’t get that much done. In the end we need to change ourselves and our own outlook and be motivated internally, instead of expecting things to fall into place just because we are nagging or annoying.
A fantastic list of quality that more of us (myself most definitely included) should try to strive for. Positive thinking, I believe, is one that tends to get pushed off to the side; too often, we hear about the negatives in the world, and are only inspired to be fearful and not do anything. Thanks for the reminder of the importance of positive thinking!
Thank you for the reminder. Optimism is definitely lacking in this world these days. Its funny you should mention this because lately this has been my motto. Don’t get upset about stuff and look for the positive in every situation.
You are one of the first “Yakezie” sites I found when I joined last week… and have quickly become one of my favourites. Who wants to be around a “pessimistic” person? We’d all rather enjoy the company of a person who practices the characteristics you identify in this piece. Thanks for the reminder as I seek to be an inspiring individual for those who are learning to invest in the markets.
Thanks for the sweet compliment. I am glad you have been enjoying my blog. I really tried hard to have content that actually touches people. Just do the best you can being kind to others and you will do great.
Great post. Reminds me of – “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” This saying has been with me the majority of my life.
I agree. Great quote. It is one I often remembered growing up when I had issues to deal with. It’s true, the more resilience you develop the better off you are later on.
Well put Miss T. I wrote about inspiration today too. :) I like that your post is about how WE can inspire others. I never considered before that I could be an inspiration to someone else. I love that you mention positive thinking – it’s one of my strongest beliefs! -Sydney
Thanks. Yes you have the power to be an inspiration to others. Your actions can change the actions of others. It’s amazing how often we are being watched when we don’t even realize it.
Miss T, the fact that you are here and wrote this post is inspiring. It’s inspiring because you are taking a leap of faith to reach out and connect with other people. Who really knows what awaits us at the end of this life? So it is inspiring to me when people like yourself share you thoughts and perspective and give life all they have.
For myself, I need to work on persevering, reaching out to others, and always keeping my mental attitude in check and not focusing on the negative or complaining. Thanks again for your post.
You are very welcome and thank you for such a sweet compliment. Believe me I don’t have it all worked out yet but I do know that I want to give things my all- I am a very passionate person. I think it is important to be the best person you can be and make a positive footprint in this world.
You can do whatever you set your mind to so if you want to start thinking more positive than you can make it happen. Best of luck and no worries- I am sure you are doing awesome already. We are often harder on ourselves than we need to be.
I know that I am definitely inspired by those that are hard-working and persevere so I can agree with the qualities you posted. So much so that I aim to imitate those I admire.
That’s great to hear Latisha. I think it is awesome that you are trying to imitate those you admire.
Wow Miss T, a very moving member post. Don’t mind me if I bookmark this as a reminder on how to inspire. I was momentarily lost as I felt my blog name wasn’t keeping up with your inspiring standards. But then I applied what you said to get back on track. Positive thinking, taking action, and persevering. Thanks for inspiring me today!
You’re welcome Buck. And don’t get so down on yourself. You are inspiring. Just look at hard you work at your blog and sharing what you know with others in an effort to help them. By doing good for others you are inspiring others to also do good. Keep it up. You are doing great.
My mission is to be an inspiring person in my PF blog, and I absolutely agree — an inspiring person is positive, is not defeated by her (inevitable) failures along the way, and is a keen observer. I think almost all PF bloggers are inspirations, whether their blog is based on documenting their own journeys or encouraging others to pursue their dreams (or both).
I would agree. We are all inspiring in our own way. And for those of us who don’t think we are, this is a reminder that we can be if we want to be.
Wonderful post. To me, authentic people are inspiring. When someone is comfortable with who they are, they are comfortable with who you are in exchange. Then, it’s really possible to make a difference.I find that inspiring…and rare.
Yes being comfortable with yourself is huge. I personally have worked on that for years and it has gotten better, however, I still have some work to. But you’re right- you need to have to confidence to follow through with things and actually make them happen.
I like that description “authentic people”. You always know when you come across them, and it is inspiring to stand in their life.
Interesting question. When I was growing up, my uncle and aunt were so very different from my own parents and any other adults that I knew. They took me off the farm to cities, on trains, and inspired me to go to college. Now that I am in their position, I try to inspire my own neice and nephew who are growing up on our farm.
That’s awesome that your aunt and uncle took such an interest in you. Inspiring you and their effort has led to your success. I am glad to hear you are trying to pay it forward and do the same. That’s great.
These are great tips, Miss T. I think we need to inspire ourselves first and then some of that will go on and inspire others, by example. That’s why I like this post because it focuses on qualities that we can build that will improve our ability in managing our own lives, as well.
Glad you enjoyed it IIW. You’re right- it has to start within and then it will shine outward.
I think it’s so important to realize that you can inspire others even when you aren’t in a position of leadership. If we develop the characteristics that you mention here, we can’t help but to inspire others to similar actions!
Thanks!
You are very right. You don’t have to be rich, prominent, or in a position of power to have positive influence. All of us can make a difference if we just try. Thanks for reiterating this point.
Great post about what to aim to be like and how to inspire others. I love what you said about positivity. I got asked a fair bit this year how we managed to cope, as others would be a complete mess if they went through what we did. It was just a matter of positive thinking and doing what we could. There was no more we could do and I knew it had to eventually get better and it is.
Great attitude Kylie. Being positive can make such a difference to a situation’s outcome. I think it opens opportunities. Really, everything, even the bad stuff is a learning experience; we always gain something regardless and this is something to be positive about.
Good tips! I’ll have to remember these when I deal with the people I oversee at work.
Glad you found the article helpful. Being a good leader at work takes skill and understanding. Knowing how to inspire people to do well can come in really handy and help you with your relationships.
My name is Peter Horsfield and like you I believe it is an honor, privilege to help and inspire others to achieve their dreams for the reasons important to them.
Actually my journey has taken me on the path of creating a website to share stories of people who are both doing extraordinary things and have overcome extraordinary challenges!
My hope is that sharing this research connects with the readers and makes a positive impression on ones life!
I believe we are on the same journey. I aspire too impact on others lives, in a positive way, like those who meet you tell others about their experience with you. Thank you for your gift of spirit and taking action.
Here is my website should you be interested to view my research so far. I would love to hear from you about ways I can further the reach of my eXtraordinary crusade so to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of all I meet.
http://www.thextraordinary.org
God Bless You and your positive impact on the lives of others!
Thank you
Peter