Dear Destiny Friends,

There is no genuine success without inspiration. Fact. Inspiration comes in different ways, and we all need to be inspired one way or another. Some get inspired by parents, mentors, friends and even the less privileged. The truth remains that we all love to be inspired by people we admire; our boss, our spouse, or someone who has accomplished great things in the community. This makes us feel good and motivates us to replicate similar feats.

Some people get inspired by reading and viewing the works of other people online. In this era of social media, people listen to what you say, watch what you do, and learn from your attitude and behavior.

There is a unique style of inspiration most people don’t talk about. It is called self-inspiration. Self-inspiration comes from within. Nobody can inspire you more than you can inspire yourself. Many of us have inspired others without knowing, and many people have inspired us as well without knowing.

However, the word inspiration is taken for granted in many social parlances. In reality, inspiration is the fabric that holds our society. Different things inspire people. Just like you can be inspired by someone’s authenticity, your own authenticity can also inspire someone. In the same vein, your success can inspire someone in the same way your love can inspire someone. You can also be inspired by the courage of someone standing up to another person’s rude behavior.

Note that we are all called to be an inspiration to someone. Today, I charge you to inspire someone with your lifestyle. You can be the reason someone’s hope is rekindled. You can be the reason someone changes from bad to good. You can be the reason someone decides to love again. But may we never be the reason someone changes from positive to negative.

We must never lose sight of the fact that in our contemporary society, some people also get inspired for the wrong reasons. Some people even trend for the wrong reasons. But real inspiration comes with admiration and goodwill.

It is instructive to note that you can’t inspire others if you are not inspired. The question we need to ask ourselves therefore, is how do we get inspired and how do we inspire others?

The first way to get inspired is by being passionate about a cause that is so dear to your heart. When people see how passionate you are, they will be inspired to support you. Another way of getting inspired is by taking care of yourself. Nobody will come close to you if you don’t have anything to offer. You must appreciate yourself before other people can appreciate you. When you are inspired by your work, it will be easy for other people to get inspired by your work.

To inspire yourself, you must challenge yourself, and ensure you do it every day. The best way to begin is by doing something positive daily. Nobody likes a negative person because they come with negative energy.

To inspire others, you must be able to communicate with them in a way that is understandable and effective. When people see you care, they will open up to you. According to Lewis Howes, “People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Here are some tips on how to be an inspiration.

Be positive: Inspiration comes by being positive. Negative people cannot inspire anyone because they are filled with toxicity. Nobody will be inspired by a person who grouches.

Be energetic and passionate: If you’re going to inspire others, you need to be passionate and energetic about what you value. If you simply go about your day without expressing that spark of excitement, you’re not going to get others excited either. Be passionate about what you do and share that with those around you, and you will see a corresponding inspiration.

Inspire with love: You won’t inspire people if you’re overly judgmental, harsh, or critical. Instead, find the positive in everything. By focusing on the positive, you can inspire people to see the best in themselves and adopt a more positive outlook.

Mentorship: A great man can be likened as someone who can help people who can’t pay them back for their good deeds. This is the hallmark of selfish leadership. A big part of being an inspiration is about helping others achieve their goals, and get over setbacks.

Great and exceptional leaders always make themselves available when their mentees want to talk about their challenges, dreams or goals. This is because you can’t be busy for your friends and family. Encourage and support their steps to accomplish these goals. It’s instructive to note that despite the advice of mentors, if you are not ready to walk the talk, you will remain where you are.

In conclusion, just like a contract can be by word of mouth, conduct or writing, you can inspire someone today with your generous acts, words, writings, attitude, personality and heart of service.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator.  He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny.  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com