The art of inspiration

There are many things that occur in this world that cannot be explained by science. Some people think that everything is explainable through phy-sics and chemistry alone. If this is your opinion as well, may I suggest that you never attempt to write a love letter and explain to your prospect what’s going on in terms of physics and chemistry? I can assure you it will be received coldly, maybe at 12 degrees below zero.

One businessman says: “Love must be chemical. And this is why my wife treats me like toxic waste.”

In our efforts to be “all-scientific”, last century “management gurus” have effectively branded inspirational talks and subjects as “soft-skills”, and thus treat them as second-class subject matters that real serious dominantly left-brained technocrats shy away from.

The reason is simple. They do not know how to explain it, they do not know how to deal with it, and they certainly have never discovered how to increase productivity and improve lives with it. Topics concerning values, leadership, attitude, communications and the like become subservient to systems, processes, quality ad infinitum ad nauseam. 

I don’t blame them, because business models were patterned after the Industrial Age. However, the business landscape is entirely different. The young people who populate our work place are likewise wired differently. Daniel Pink in his book The Whole Mind describes this era as the “Age of Conceptualization.” Without discounting the importance of science and “hard skills”, I’d say many people in the work place are looking for inspiration.

Take a quick look at comments from my Facebook pages:

• “I’m so inspired with your talk.”

• “I was inspired by your book.”

• “I am so inspired by your advices in TV.”

• “I have been inspired by your radio program all these years.”

But what exactly is inspiration?

The word inspire comes from the word spirit, the Latin spîritus, meaning breath, which was derived from the verb spîrâre, ‘breathe’. In the Augustan period, it gradually began to take over as the word for soul.

Inspiration therefore is something that touches and penetrates deep within a person’s soul. You feel it. You sense it, and though you may not be able to explain and articulate it, you know it’s there.

But is it possible to be inspired all the time?

In my experience, I would honestly say “Not really, unless you look for it.”

Allow me to suggest some ways:

1. GET INSPIRATION FIRST THING EARLY IN THE MORNING.

I get inspired when I wake up in the morning and spend my prime hour doing my “Quiet Time.” This is when I meditate on Scriptures. I pray and build up my inner strength so that I am be prepared to face the external challenges that would come later in the day. Without being inspired myself, there is no way I will be able to inspire others. When you wake up late in the morning and then rush your way through the day, believe me, it would be very difficult to find inspiration.

Quiet the mind. Our thoughts are noisy — endless mind chatters, I call them. A great start is to be inspired first thing early in the morning.

2. STAY CLOSE TO INSPIRING PEOPLE.

Maybe your boss does not inspire you. He or she makes you perspire so that you soon wish you would expire. But there are people in your vicinity that are always upbeat and positive. They model excellence. More important, they see and believe in your potential. Associate with them. They will offer you a reason to aspire, because they inspire.

3. READ A GOOD BOOK. WATCH A GOOD MOVIE. LISTEN TO INSPIRING AUDIO CD’S OR PODCASTS.

Let stimulating ideas and reminders add that extra spark to your day. I have yet to meet anyone who has watched Will Smith’s “In Pursuit of Happiness” or C.S. Lewis’ “Narnia” tell me they did not feel anything but inspired. Books stimulate our thinking as well. Attend seminars featuring inspiring speakers and resource people. We need to feed our minds every day.

4. LISTEN TO INSPIRING MUSIC.

Gangsta Rap and Metal Rock are not what I have in mind. There is just something about inspirational music that penetrates the soul, soothes the mind, and creates inspiring moments. Music can get us out of our head and more into our heart. Find the music that moves your soul and play it — often.

5. INSPIRE AND SERVE OTHERS.

When you get out of yourself and focus on meeting the needs of others, meaning and fulfillment comes. And you find yourself even more inspired than those you have inspired.

Live. Give. Love. One altered letter makes a different word each time, and together, all provides inspiration for living.

Now you know. So be inspired and inspire others.

(Attend Francis Kong’s one-day life changing seminar “SUCCESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE” on August 13, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center. For registration and tickets, call Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)