Turning job frustrations into career fulfillment
There is no greater gift you can give another human than inspiring them to reach for dreams they could not imagine or follow their dreams and accomplish the impossible.
I coached a client a few months ago that I will never forget. She was not native to the US and spoke somewhat broken English. She was trying to find a job here locally and came in looking for help with her resume. On the surface, all I had to do was create the resume for her. I worked with her for two sessions and after the second session, we were about 95% done. When she showed up for her third session I started talking to her about how we were going to finish her resume and then plan our action steps moving forward; practicing her interview skills, applying for positions etc. She quickly stopped me and said, “No, I’m done.“ I was quite taken aback. “What do you mean, You’re done?” Her reply literally gave me goosebumps: “I was so excited about this new resume we created, that last week I used it to apply for a position that I really, really liked and … I got the job. I start on Monday. It is my dream job. I just came to say thank you.“ I’m not ashamed to say, we both got a little teary-eyed for a second.
That interaction is burned into my memory because it demonstrated so well the incredible power of inspiration. What she asked for, was a resume. What I gave her, was inspiration. Almost without realizing it I gave her the hope, faith, self-confidence and motivation that she needed much more than a resume. It was inspiration she needed to pursue her dream … and accomplish it. It was a great reminder of the incredible power that one person has to shape the life of another.
That experience was also the moment I vowed to make inspiration a constant focus in my relationships with everyone around me every day. To learn more about it and to try to find opportunities to inspire someone in some way at every opportunity I have.
So what exactly is inspiration?
Inspiration is a combination of hope, excitement, self-confidence, faith, positive energy, and motivation. It is helping someone see the “art of the possible”. It is the ability to help someone envision a future that is so incredibly exciting and energizing that they are ready to pursue it with full abandon and no reservations. I love the description in the dictionary: “To influence and impel” In other words, to inspire another person to drive positively forward with energy and excitement.
But what’s in it for me?
It’s a little sad to me that some people would even ask that question. And to be completely frank, if you’re asking that question, you’re not being very inspiring at the moment. Sorry. That said, here’s my answer. Ralph Waldo Emerson said this: “Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour onto others without getting some on yourself” I would claim the same goes for Inspiration. You cannot inspire others without inspiring yourself. And the more you inspire others, the more successful you will become in whatever you do. Call it Faith, call it Karma, call it “What goes around, comes around”, but I completely and fully believe that when you help others be successful you will become more successful yourself over time.
How can I be more inspiring?
I’m not going to sugar coat it. It’s not easy. Even though I focus on it and try to practice it daily, I’m only successful at it a small amount of time. Here are five ways in which you can start.
Inspiring others is one ingredient in my formula for creating the Rocket Fuel for your career will propel you to levels never seen before. As you are working with people around you, seek to find opportunities where you can provide that type of inspiration, hope and rocket fuel for someone else’s career. Do that and watch how, not just your career, but also your happiness, fulfillment and job satisfaction takes off like a rocket.
In closing, let me ask you this: Did you find this article inspiring? I hope so. How sad and ironic would it be to write an article about Inspiration … that was … not inspiring? Let me know, either way. Also, let me know if this article inspired you to become more inspiring yourself. Can you imagine a world where inspiring those around you was everyone’s focus every day? I can.