Hello friends! Sorry I haven’t been posting lately. I just finished college, so everything with graduation, pinning down a summer job, and moving in to my first-ever apartment got a little crazy and time-consuming. Honestly, part of it was just my priority of spending the time I had left with my college friends. But I’m back, and I hope you all will continue to read. Thank you for sticking with me, even through these stretches where I haven’t posted. I am trying to get the posts up no matter what.
Moving on to the topic for this week, I want to talk about inspiration. Specifically, what inspiration is and how we can inspire others. It’s something so many people in our world talk about. It’s a question we often get asked: “Who/What inspired you to be a (insert hobby/profession/job/passion here)?” But what is being inspired? And how can we inspire others?
Most of the time we talk about inspiration, we talk about a person. Even if it’s a thing, such as a story, it’s connected to a person. That’s just how our brains work. But the person isn’t what inspires us–it’s the story behind the person that does. And because we connect the story with that person, the story that inspired us has a face. Think of all the ‘based on a true story’ movies out there, such as The Gabby Douglas Story. Why is Gabby Douglas so inspiring to so many gymnasts? Because of the story behind her success. And Gabby gives a face to that story, so it’s often said, “Gabby Douglas inspired me.”
Those that inspire are those that have shared their stories.
We can even be inspired by those whose stories we don’t know. Why? We can see the story behind their actions, their success. We can see in how they conduct themselves how hard they’ve worked to get where they are, that maybe they had to go through rough times to get there. It’s all connected to the story.
And we can inspire others too. Maybe the world won’t hear our stories, but someone out there will. Besides, there’s not a soul in this world, not one human being who can inspire everyone else in this world. (Except Jesus, but to keep the length of this post from getting out of hand, we won’t got there today.) Why? Because there are so many different personalities, so many different experiences that make each of us who we are. And none of those experiences is going to be exactly the same. Not one, even with 7 million people on this planet.
So how do people inspire nations? They don’t necessarily inspire entire nations. Not every single person in the nation is inspired by one individual. But many people within the nations can be inspired, and that’s where the saying comes from. “You’ll inspire nations.” Yes, maybe you will, maybe you can. But what you’re really doing is connecting with the people similar to you, those that feel as though something about you is the same as something about them. There’s a connection there, and no one can connect with everyone.
But we don’t have to inspire nations. We can inspire the few people we have around us, inspire our communities, but we have to share ourselves first. Maybe people will wonder about you; something in your actions may inspire them, even a little. But if your actions inspire someone, think of what the story behind those actions can do. Not only for that person, but for others around them, others around you.
You can inspire people right where you’re at. Sure, you can get your story out onto the internet and inspire others around the world. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about putting your story out in your own community, even in your friend group or at your school. I know it’s scary sharing with peers and with people you don’t know. It’s hard to be vulnerable with them. Just start small, with your family and friends. Start with those you trust, and work your way outward in small, concentric circles. You won’t regret it (eventually. You might just after you do it, but you will come to be glad you did it).
And maybe you will inspire someone you never thought you could; maybe you won’t know who you’ll inspire. But I promise you, there is someone out there who will be inspired by your story. Maybe not right now, maybe not where you are right now. But someday, there will be someone. Even if you don’t know it.
As I finished up college, I lost a close friend coming out of my first dating relationship. But I gained much more than I lost. I gained new friends, and I learned much about myself. And I was inspired by his story, though I never told him that. He may never know that he inspired me to confront myself, to face who I was and figure that out. To believe in myself. And I’ve talked to friends, had them write some of their favorite memories with me. I’ve only read one so far, but I can tell by what he wrote that, in some small way, I might have inspired him a little. And I’ve had other friends say similar things to what he wrote.
Some of these people, I’ve never told my story to. But I’ve inspired them, even if it’s only one small area of my and their lives. And maybe if I’d shared my story, I could have inspired them more. Maybe I could have learned their stories and been inspired in return.
This is a big part of what relationships are about, friends. You can inspire each other in the everyday things of life, in the smallest portion of your stories. You can inspire others farther out than that, too.
But it all starts with sharing your story. You never know how powerful it might be.
What do you think?
Voice Pianissimo 
What are your thoughts?