Who inspires you ?

Are you inspired by the stream of "inspirational quotes" that seems to inundate Linkedin or Facebook every minute of the day ? Do you "like" these sources of inspiration ? From the sheer volume of inspiration that is around, one would believe we live in a very inspiring and inspired world. But the concept of inspiration seems to have lost part of its meaning. The definition of inspiration is ...

something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create

So what do you actually DO when you "like" an inspirational quote ? Or when you read the leadership quotes from Abraham Lincoln ? Or see the movie of Ghandi's life ? What do you DO with this apparent inspiration ? Most of the ACTIONS around inspiration seem limited to "likes" and "shares" on social media. Widely spreading the inspiration around ... ! But what about actually doing something from that inspiration ?

I am not inspired by Ghandi, Mandela, Richard Branson or Steve Jobs. All cool guys, without a doubt, but I never met them and never will. And reading books or quotes does not turn me into one of them. I am not inspired because although I do read about them, that does not translate into me taking any particular action.

I am inspired by people I know, and meet or work with regularly. I am inspired by the server in the hotel last week who remembered what my favorite dessert is. She inspired me to look out in more detail for the individual needs of the participants in my workshop. I am inspired by the colleague who gave a presentation and handled a tough question really well. He inspired me to prepare better my next presentation and try to imagine what the audience would think or ask. Or the motorcycle taxi driver who seemed like the happiest guy despite spending his day in heat and pollution. He inspired me to try and smile a bit more often !

Inspirational quote of the day: look for inspiration around you, it might just be easier to act on !