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Inspiration, it Can Stir the Soul
By Leigh Anne Tuohy, November 8, 2011 11:26 AM
Where do you get your inspiration? What excites, enriches and engages you? I hope your response is not accumulating more wealth, larger houses, more land, stocks, bonds or pursuit of fame. What drives you to achieve your goals? Goals will or will not be achieved according to how we, as individuals, are inspired.
As insignificant and trivial as this may sound to you, especially in terms of the bigger picture of "saving mankind, "I will tell you what motivates me on those days when I just want to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head. My personal inspiration has always come from the fact that we all put our pants on exactly the same way. Sure, maybe one person puts a different spin or unusual twist than the next person, but the same basic principal still applies...one leg at a time.
I am simply an interior designer who, along with my family, did one random act of kindness because my inspiration comes from the fact that we are all created equal. If the playing field were totally level, what would truly make you better than the next Joe? That is what I find fulfilling, trying to make sure that everyone has a shot at making it.
As you might imagine, I am not the type of person who likes to choose between "either and or." I don't like to cut the herd because when that is done, it's like saying this one has a chance yet, that one does not. I want everyone to have opportunity. Why do you think you're better than I am, or I'm better than the guy down the street? It gets my juices flowing to know that every day I am going to cross paths with a person who can be a successful contributing member of society if only given the opportunity.
Do you know what it is that would get your juices flowing? I don't want the final few ticks of your clock to be taking place and you to be thinking, "I didn't get a chance to do this or I should have done that." Statements such as those would lead me to believe that you do know what it took to inspire you, yet you chose not to listen to that inner voice nagging at you to inspire and uplift.
Don't wait to act upon that little nagging voice that stirs your soul. The power of choice is great. I hope you will choose something that will allow you to see yourself in a whole new light, and that you will use that light to change another's life for the better. Hopefully when others see that light of yours brightly beaming, and they realize that what you're doing really makes you feel good and is having such a positive impact on others, then they will be inspired for their light to shine as well.
So I challenge you to run towards whatever it is that inspires you, run with passion and desire and know that when you are nearing the finish line, reach back and grab someone who has not done as well in this race of life and bring them across that finish line with you. I hope you will do this with no other motivation than knowing the more you give the more you will get. I share this with you from personal experience; find out what it is that inspires you and use it to change the world!
Photo credit: Sean MacEntee
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @LeighAnneTuohy and play #TuohyTrivia on Tuesdays for a chance to win a $25 donation to the charity of your choice for answering the question correctly. Learn more about my family's charity at The Making It Happen Foundation.
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