Why are we inspired by people like Malala Yousafzai? Why is it so many people enjoy watching Ted Talks? Why is it Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rose to such prominence? Why is The Diary of Anne Frank so hugely popular? Why is it we remember the teacher who saw something in us and encouraged it while we’ve practically forgotten the others? Why is it we find some people inspiring and not others?
The reason we feel inspired by others is because their passion reminds us of that same potential within ourselves. All of us have been given a spark of greatness. When we’re born, our whole being is aligned with that purpose and energy. As we grow, we gradually lose connection to this potential in ourselves. (For more on this process click here). But when we encounter someone who is living their best self, we remember that we too have a best self, waiting in the wings.
But why is it so many seem unable to fulfill the promise they represent? Why is it so many of us have such small lives? What causes us to live uninspired lives?
Recently I was working with a client who described a situation in her life that she wanted to change. She was clear on what the present situation was costing her and had a vision of how she wanted things to be. She also knew how to go about creating that vision. But the thought of taking the needed step was filled with so much fear. It was as if her feet suddenly got caught in the mud and she was unable to extricate herself.
My heart was breaking. I could see the power and potential in this person. I could also see it fading into oblivion before my eyes. What was she afraid of?
It turns out she was afraid of fear. She couldn’t be absolutely sure about how taking that first step would turn out. And so, instead of creating the change she desired, fear froze her where she stood.
Pema Chödrön has said: “Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”[1]
We all fear facing the truth, particularly when it’s related to a part of ourselves we’re either unacquainted with or are ashamed of. But I’ve never had an experience in which coming clean, dealing directly with the truth, didn’t make things so much better, easier and simpler.
The honest truth is that none of us knows what the future brings. We’re constantly surrounded by uncertainty. But as Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”[2]
Fear is a good sign. It tells us we’re dealing with important matters.
Fear is something worth moving toward, not avoiding. In mythology change often approaches as a monster with terrifying eyes and teeth. But when it leaves, it leaves as an angel. This is a personification of the fear we feel as we approach uncertainty (or it approaches us) and the blessing we experience through the process of moving through it. What we fear turns out to be a gift. The bigger the fear, the bigger the gift.
Summoning our courage is a crucial step in aligning our lives with our genius. It’s an expression of the fact that we are powerful souls and have choice. As we become acquainted with our courage, we discover what we fear is never as scary as we think. That monster we see really is a blessing in disguise.
Fear tells lies in order to keep us away from the truth. You have been given a divine gift. It is your honor and privilege to bring that gift to the world. It’s also your responsibility. The universe endowed you with a purpose, a potential and a unique voice. You’re here to share those gifts with the rest of us. And the universe and the people in it are here to receive it.
Bring to mind someone who inspires you and use their example to remind you of your fullest potential. Then take the step you’re afraid to take. Everything really is possible.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”[3]
Let me know in the comments below who you find inspiring and why. I know it will inspire others too.
[1]Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart, Shambhala Publications, Inc. 1997, p. 2
[2] Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, 1933
[3] T.S. Eliot, Preface to Harry Crosby, Transit of Venus (1931), p. ix.
Photo: © Claude Truong-Ngoc / Wikimedia Commons
© 2018, Paul Boehnke
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