How to Inspire Yourself or Me
Introduction - Part I of II
As I write this we have recently seen instances of uninspired performances by several public figures. We have seen in the brightest of lights, on the biggest stage, how hurtful words and gestures can be. We are going to spend our time together in these pages learning how to focus our words and our gestures, and all of our other positive attributes, on other people . . . and we‘ll see where it leads us.
Let‘s begin by determining what the components of an inspired performance are.
The components are desire, compassion, courage, and faith.
Desire – You have to want to perform exceptionally well. In a business setting two things will inspire you to perform exceptionally well: (1) absolute dedication to duty; (2) a genuine desire to please a person or persons whom we like and respect.
Compassion – You have to be sensitive to the needs of other people and care about meeting their needs. A compassionate person understands the difference between motivation and inspiration.
Courage – You have to be willing to step forward and risk failure. Failure is nothing more than a learning experience. You can recover from failure as long as you have the courage to keep on moving forward. When you step forward with courage you inspire others in your community to raise the level of their performances.
Faith – You have to believe in a positive outcome. People follow leaders who display confidence in their decisions. Envision the result you want and the action required to achieve it, then go to work and make it happen.
Here is a fun example of an inspired performance accomplished in front of an international audience.
It was the 1988 baseball season. Kirk Gibson had been traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gibson was the acknowledged leader of the Tigers and now he was being asked to inspire the youthful and talented Dodgers. They were sputtering because of a lack of on-the-field leadership. During that 1988 season Gibson led his young Dodger teammates to the National League Pennant and into the World Series through hard work and powerful performances. Near the end of the season, shortly before the start of the playoffs, Gibson had injured his good knee. He had come to the Dodgers with one bad knee and now he had another. It was doubtful that he was going to be able to play in the Playoffs or in the World Series with two bad knees. Dodger fans were crushed. Here was the team leader, the guy who had carried his team into the World Series, and he wasn‘t going to play.
In the stands prior to game one, the fans were not holding back their joy at the team‘s success. They were showering the Dodgers with encouragement and doing their best to put the whammy on the Oakland A‘s. Bags of peanuts were selling by the truckload and a sea of peanut shells was rapidly filling the ramps and seating areas of Dodger Stadium as fans crunched their way to their seats. The aroma of smoky roast beef wafted up from a pit just below field level. The sounds of the Muskrat Ramble emanated from a Dixieland band that was set up at the main entrance to the stadium. Vendors were overflowing with trinkets of all types.
As game one began Gibson was watching from the dugout, cheering his teammates on. The game was close all the way, a real nail-biter. In the bottom of the 8th inning the Dodgers score to come within one run of the lead. Their defense held the A‘s at bay and as they came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, they were still trailing by one run. While the Dodgers were at bat, down in a little passageway between the dugout and the Dodgers‘ clubhouse stood Kirk Gibson…swinging a bat…trying to get loose. He could barely stand, but Kirk Gibson knew what his presence on the field would mean to his teammates.
Orel Hirshhiser, the ace of the Dodgers pitching staff, happens to catch a glimpse of Gibson swinging the bat and with every swing there was pain. Hirshhiser, incredulous at the sight, says to Gibson, “Gibby, what are you doing?” Gibson snaps back with authority: “Tell Tommy I‘m ready if he needs me!”
Tommy Lasorda was the manager of the Dodgers. Excitable and extremely competitive, Lasorda couldn‘t believe what he was hearing. Hirshhiser‘s telling his manager that the greatest clutch hitter in the major leagues is ready to play.
“Tommy! Gibby says he’s ready.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yeah! He’s back there warming up!”
Assured that the chance of further injury was minimal, Lasorda decides to send Gibson to the plate with the tying run on base and two outs in the bottom of the 9th in the first game of the World Series. The first game . . . the game that sets the tone for the entire series . . . statistics show that the winner of the first game wins the Series over 60 percent of the time.
The…fans…are…going…crazy as Gibson limps to the plate, his bat resting on his shoulder. No one had expected to see this. Facing Gibson that day was the best relief pitcher in all of baseball, future hall of famer Dennis Eckersley. Everybody was on their feet waving their Dodger caps in anticipation of something great from their team leader. Cheers of “Gib-by! Gib-by! Gib-by!” enveloped the entire stadium.
Gibson quickly falls behind with no balls and two strikes. The stadium grows quiet with tension now as they‘re possibly down to the last pitch. Gibby works the count full at 3 balls and 2 strikes. Now we are truly down to the last pitch.
Eckersley winds and challenges the injured Gibson with a fastball down the middle of the plate. Gibson confirmed later that he had no power in his legs, he had no way to drive through the ball. He used his powerful arms and wrists to flick at the ball. He got all of it. Gibson limped around the bases, pumping his fist in victory as the umpire signaled that he had hit a game winning home run. The drama of that moment was intense. Gibson never made another appearance in that World Series, but his team went on to win the championship.
That, my friends, is the power of an inspired performance. Gibson showed his team that he had the desire to perform in the most stressful game situations. He demonstrated by his willingness to play hurt that he cared for the team. In the face of painful injuries, he stepped forward courageously and he had faith that his God-given ability and the preparation he had done would enable him to perform.
If they have a choice, your clients and your employers hire “you”! In other words, clients and employers are looking for what makes “you” special. They are buying your head and they are buying your heart. They are buying your knowledge, your discipline, and your skills. But they are also buying your integrity, your thoughtfulness, your responsiveness, your loyalty, and your passion. All of that comes packaged as your inspired performance.
It’s all About Them
Actors and actresses, professional performers of all types, inspire us every day. They inspire us through their performances. Of course, anyone anywhere can inspire. We can all inspire our audience of customers or co-workers. We want them to recognize how invaluable we are to their success. We move our audience through our motivation and through our inspiration.
What is the difference between motivation and inspiration? Very simply stated, motivation is about you; inspiration is about them.
What motivates you? What is it that makes you get up in the morning? What is it that you want?
What is it that inspires you? What moves you to act? What events occur in the world that compel you to act…for “them”?
Dr. Wayne Dyer, a world famous expert in personal development, says that motivation is ego-driven. It‘s all about you and what you want. Motivation is grabbing an idea and carrying it through to an acceptable conclusion. You were motivated, perhaps by money, perhaps by prestige, perhaps by a position within your professional community. You educated yourself, you graduated with your degree or diploma, you worked as an apprentice to gain experience, and you commenced your career. You found something that you wanted to do, you were motivated to do it, and you did it. That‘s grabbing an idea and carrying it through to an acceptable conclusion. That‘s motivation. Wanting to work hard in order to buy a new car, or a new home, or a beautiful piece of jewelry is motivation.
But inspiration…ahh, inspiration…inspiration is spirit-driven. It‘s a force that takes hold of us. Inspiration moves you to focus on others. Maybe you were inspired to forget your own needs for a while in order to help raise much needed funds or materials such as food and clothing for the victims of Katrina in 2006. Or maybe you neighbor has become ill and with two small children and a newborn, the family is struggling financially so you decide to hold a community bake sale to raise money to help the family. These are both examples of an inspired performance focused on someone else, not on yourself.
You can carry this type of performance into your professional life. For instance, as a court reporter I can sit at a deposition and write for hours, or I can sit at a deposition and write for hours in realtime1 while also editing the file through the day at every pause and recess in order to be ready to respond positively if one of the parties asks for a rush transcript delivery. That’s an inspired performance. I am thinking about what someone else might need; I‘m not thinking about myself.
1 Realtime is the instant transcription and simultaneous viewing of the spoken word.
Find a Mentor
The first step in inspiring your performance is to find a mentor whose inspired performance you can learn from. You can look within your profession, within your communities, and throughout the world to find people whom you admire. If you can connect with them and learn directly from them the experience will be that much more enlightening for you. But even if you admire them from afar, via a book or a video presentation, you can still be influenced by them.
The Oprah Winfrey Show is well known for its inspirational programming.
Often, audience members participate by sharing their own heart-wrenching experiences. Oprah has created a community of like-minded people who are focused on overcoming life’s physical and emotional roadblocks.
Joni was an audience member at one of Oprah‘s shows when she revealed that she purchased a pair of Oprah‘s shoes at an auction. Joni said that every time she felt depressed and unable to stand on her own, she slipped into Oprah‘s shoes and stood in them while imagining she had the strength of Oprah. Joni‘s resulting inspired performance carried her from a life of poverty to a college education and a career as an educator.
Joni‘s story touched the life of Sandra Josephs, who was a shy little girl with big dreams and little self-confidence. When her parents took her to see a stage performance of Annie, Sandra instantly knew why she was put on this earth. Sandra was meant to perform. But her lack of confidence was holding her back until she saw the show on which Joni spoke of drawing inspiration from Oprah. Sandra was struck by Oprah‘s confidence, the fact that Oprah knew what she wanted, and she went after it, and the fact that Oprah‘s confidence inspired another young girl to succeed. “Whenever I needed courage that I couldn't muster on my own,” Sandra said, “I would always find my inner Oprah, the place that was strong, confident, courageous, and successful.”
Sandra Josephs eventually moved to New York to seek her destiny. She performed in local theatre while also auditioning for opportunities on the larger stage. After enduring many rejections, her inspired performance landed Sandra the role of a lifetime, starring as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera.
Both Joni and Sandra were inspired by the strength of Oprah Winfrey. They used Oprah‘s strength to inspire their own performances until they were able to inspire themselves and now they inspire others. So the first step in inspiring your performance is to find a mentor whose inspired performance you can learn from. (See Part II)