Inspire
Lesson #7 in an Eleven-part
series based on Aspire by Kevin Hall
In
everyone’s life, at some time,
our
inner fire goes out.
It
is then burst into flame
by
an encounter
with
another human being.
- Albert
Schweitzer –
Our 7th word in this
remarkable book is the word “INSPIRE.” I love this particular word for it is near
and dear to my own heart and the way I attempt to live my own life.
When someone inspires you, a door
is opened before you; a doorway to accomplishing the impossible. It was closed before. Now, with inspiration, you see possibilities
that were once hidden. Walk through that
open door and see what awaits you on the other side.
In “Afternoons with Arthur”,
Kevin is taught the meaning of inspire. The conversation went like this:
“The meaning of the word ‘inspire,’ comes from the Latin ‘inspirare,’ ‘Spirare,’
Arthur instructed, means to breathe, and ‘in’ implies into. To
inspire is to breathe into.”
Arthur further points out that
the word “encourage” is closely
associated with the word inspire.
“Coeur” in the Romance
languages means heart. When you “encourage”, you add to someone’s
heart.
I have often used Maya Angelou’s
quote in my blogs. I found this quote in
Kevin’s book “Aspire.” Listen to this.
“People will forget what you said;
people will forget what you did;
but people will never forget how you
made them feel.”
What
power we have with the words we use.
When you inspire and praise someone
it is as if you are leading them “out of
a cold, harsh dungeon into a warm garment of praise.”
“When
we praise someone, we add value to them, to their lives and to their dream.” This is one of the profound quotes from Kevin’s
book, and I love this thought. I am all
about lifting people up. My life’s
mission is to offer Up-Words to everyone I meet through my writing and speaking.
To paraphrase Kevin’s words:
“We get to choose …
To
heal or wound
To
inspire or expire
To
praise or criticize
To
appreciate or depreciate
To
encourage or discourage
To
focus on strengths or focus on weaknesses”
I want to be an inspiration to
everyone with whom I come into contact. I
want to offer an opportunity for good feelings, good will and good
thoughts. I want to show you a bigger
picture of who you can become, and what you can become.
I want to inspire you.
And then …
Then … my hope and
prayer is that you too will Inspire
someone in return.
You rock P. Michael!
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