Ever sit there and mindlessly scroll through your Twitter or Instagram accounts and minutes later, feel like you got nothing out of that? Happens to all of us, but recently I ended up having a bit of a realization as I looked through my timeline.
Like most, there are a large number of people that I follow on my social media profiles that I do not know, personally, but I love seeing what they’ve achieved and their lifestyle. I know who they are, that they exist, what they are about (at least from an outward perspective), but I don’t know them as people. I don’t know what makes them tick (or tock). I’m not immediately aware of any inner struggles they may have had or are having, unless they talk about them. I truly don’t know how they got to where they are.
There are other accounts, however, that I know exactly how they got to where they currently stand. They talk about it openly via social media and articles they’ve written. While I may not know them personally, they’ve gone out of their way to give me a little insight into what makes them keep going.
I like to classify both of these perspectives into two categories:
Motivation and Inspiration
Motivation shows you what is achievable.
Inspiration shows you the process of achieving.
Personally, I’m far more inspired and motivated by people who show me not only where they are, but how they got there, and what actions they took along the way. The reason is, if they share the how, you know a little about who they are as people, and if they are someone you want as an inspiration and motivator.
The story of how you get there is just as important as getting there itself. Click To TweetLeaving a trail of pride
I’ve always been inspired with sports stories. I think that’s why any “30 for 30” documentary that ESPN drops into Netflix ends up in my queue. The reason is pretty simple, I enjoy seeing the ‘how’ of the end result. Seeing all the hard work someone puts in to achieve their dream. Seeing the decisions made in the past and how they affect the future. I think it’s something that, while very apparent in athletics, is equally as important in business and life in general. How you approach each challenge in your life on the way to achieving your goal is part of your story. It can do far more to make what you do inspirational than reading the end result, in all honesty.
