Inspiration

Inspiration

noun

1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

   
   

I absolutely love the sensation I get when I read something, hear something, or see something that inspires me. It’s as if the idea in that moment turned on my ignition switch. It lights a spark. It shoves whatever was on my proverbial mental table to the floor and makes room for rolling out something new.

I feel fortunate that I am surrounded by people, or experiences, in my life that have done that for me. It’s the “yes … and” conversations where you move to the edge of your seat to further explore a thought, it’s the reframing of how to see my world followed by a brilliant question, or an idea to try something that feels like I should have discovered years ago.

And then there are the moments when the spark isn’t just something I think about—it’s something I feel deep in my core. It resonates on a different level. It quietly says, “Yes… pay attention to this.”

Those moments are rare, but they are far more profound. Again and again, they have become ground zero for a meaningful new focus in my life—one that leaves a lasting and deeply positive imprint on who I am becoming.

This week I had two of those, which is highly unusual. Both came from talented women I knew and worked with at the start of their careers and have remained friends with throughout. Each have pursued their passions and traversed career pathways – wildly different from each other, yet each are wise, and strong, and passionate, intensely human, and what struck me this week was that they are both willing to be delightfully vulnerable and be open to new ways of thinking.

Each inspiration came through a social post. The first through a weekly business newsletter. This woman happened to inspire me about a year and a half ago with a tagline for a client of hers that simply stated, “I was not put on this earth to blend in” I remember reading that and thinking, ‘Yes! That is so me” Not that I would ever set myself on fire to get noticed, but I do have a gene that has been known to rebel against conformity. This week she wrote, “So be chaos and strategy, wild and grounded, so soft and so strong. You are wildfire and wonder … Let's distill it. Reveal it. Give it oxygen and room to breathe. Sculpt it. Step into it” In essence she was talking about not holding back when imagining the future and being true to ourselves.

The second woman also wisely wrote, “For me, true leadership isn't just about being "reactive"; it’s about the intentionality to move away from "going along to get along." To borrow from recent global discourse, we are at a "rupture" point where we must shift from being disempowered recipients of global templates to becoming the architects of our own roadmaps.”

Inspiration. Reminders grounded in real life. Cape-worthy coaching to continue to think outside the proverbial box. These women continually bring the wow-factor, grit wrapped in grace, bold curiosity, and I have great admiration for all that they have accomplished in their lives. @Wambui Kinya and @Amy McAnn, thank you for the words each of you wrote and for inspiring me this week to continue to pursue a passion of mine and a reminder to never stop thinking of what might be. A key ingredient for a life well lived.

Be Bold