Читать книгу 20 Something Manifesto - Christine Hassler - Страница 19

Another quandary twenty somethings get into is finding inspiration but then quickly becoming deflated. Jennifer admitted in her story that career success stories she hears are momentarily inspiring but then leave her feeling like she should be doing more. Inspire means “to influence, move, or guide”; it does not mean “get motivated for five minutes and then start beating yourself up for not being more like the person who just inspired you.” Are you guilty of tainting inspiration with self-judgment? Inspiration is supposed to be full of light, coming from something divine. As soon as we add comparison, we make it dark, and what was at first positive becomes negative.

When we wander into comparison land, any opportunity for learning vanishes and we miss out on valuable information. Also, when we compare ourselves to people who are older and have more experience, we can forget we each need to follow our own yellow brick road. I struggled with comparing myself to my coach, Mona, who I think is brilliant, funny, and the most consistently at-peace person I’ve met. Thankfully, she lovingly scolded me for comparing and reminded me that we all have our own unique purpose. Now I am able to be inspired by her, which opens up my heart and mind to learn from her and allows me to be me.

GET INSPIRED

Next time you feel that wonderful feeling of inspiration — STOP! Allow yourself to truly enjoy that feeling without jumping into a cycle of self-doubt and analysis. Everyone is on his or her own unique path. If you do find yourself envious of someone else’s job or life, use the person as a source of motivation and information. Ask the person specific questions that may spark insight about your own path and rescue you from comparison land. For example: “What is the most significant event or decision in your life that has gotten you to where you are today?” “What qualities do you attribute to your success?” “What have you had to sacrifice?” “What has surprised you about your job?” “What do you really enjoy?” “What challenges do you face?”

If you cannot directly communicate with the person, write down all the things you admire and respect about them that inspire you. What qualities do you notice? What specifically do you want to emulate? As you learn more about what inspires you, you will gain insight into what truly moves you, and this will help you carve your own path. Allow inspiration to be a form of investigation rather than comparison.