What Does 'Inspiring' Mean to You? by Lois W. Stern
Recently
I received a question from one viewer asking, What do you mean by inspiring?
Here are a few of my thoughts:
I
am inspired by the people who follow their hearts to better their lives and the lives of others. I am inspired by those who
reverse damaging patterns in their personal lives and move on to more
fulfilling, productive ways of giving and receiving. Many animals inspire me
with stories of selfless giving and heartfelt emotions that never cease to amaze
me. And sometimes I get that same high from a memoir that awakens warm, fuzzy
memories from bygone years.
But
here’s one more thing that inspires me that might just surprise you. I’d like
to add humor to my list. Humor is infectious. I see how shared laughter can
bind people together, increasing their happiness and intimacy. Many independent
studies have shown how laughter triggers healthy physical changes in the body:
strengthening the immune system, boosting energy, diminishing pain and stress.
So yes, I do believe humor can also inspire us.
I
posted my question on a number of social media groups asking writers what
'inspiring' means to them and was overwhelmed by the number of thoughtful
responses. Many of them do hit the proverbial nail on the head. Please meet
them below and read their thoughts.
What
is your definition of inspiring?
I use the word "inspiring" a lot in my blogs and in conversation.
The definition for me is: something that makes me think or react at a higher
level.
Someone
in the midst of a struggle who knows that
nothing is impossible: their past is not
their present and their present is not their future, so they persevere, follow
their heart and watch their dreams come true.
Some
will say their story is inspiring if it is just uplifting or has a happy
ending, but for me, to be inspiring, a story has to challenge negative
preconceptions and change the lives of people who have them.
Communication that motivates me to want to
emulate what is presented in the story, to experience for myself what I
perceive as useful, beneficial, or something that I would enjoy doing, or just
thinking about, because it provides a sense of joy, pride or dignity.
Christine Campbell
For me, it is that which gets me up in the morning, and makes me
want to live another day: my family, the beauty around me and my writing.
What
inspires me is The Holy Spirit! Intuitive, not psychic,
and
music.
Tanya Detrik
Inspiring for me means connecting with my audience and offering
them a perspective that challenges or invites them to see, think or respond in
their own lives in a new and positive ways.
To
inspire another is when events, (in the case of a story, words) invoke emotion
or spur others to action–albeit only a tear, smile or a chuckle.
To
me, inspiring means something that will create a "spark" in me to
have an emotional reaction, (to) make me want to join in a cause, help out, or
contribute in some way, to be a part of something.
Inspiring is something that stirs the human psyche into feeling
reassured about its own basic
goodness or excites the psyche into taking action
on a heretofore challenging endeavor.
Mike
Bogia
To me, inspiring means uplifting, encouraging, something that
moves me into action, physical or mental.
William Metzker
It's a sugar high.
Tracey Christiansen
An inspiring story makes me want to leap from my chair and climb
that mountain or sail around the world or take the first step towards running
that marathon or pick up my pen to write the next story that makes someone leap
from his or her chair to climb that mountain ...
Nathaniel Ehinger
An inspiring story is one that grabs your attention on a variety
of levels; emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or psychological, making you
engage in the story and keeps you wanting more with each sentence.
What inspires me is the knowledge that there is a truthful
answer to every question, whether we discover it or not.
Inspiring can be used interchangeably with encouraging or
motivating one in a positive direction that fosters change, progress, or simply
growth!
For me, inspiring relates to overcoming obstacles. The 'never
give up' attitude in which the main characters rise to the challenge despite
overwhelming odds.
Inspiring: 1) to give hope, 2) to create a desire to do
something, 3) To motivate, 4) refreshing.
I think of inspiring as encouraging. . . . looking to pass on,
to share what they experienced so that we may feel it as much as they did. To
offer them encouragement for their own lives.
"Inspiring" means motivating you to aim higher than
you've ever aimed, to become more than you've ever been, to envision your
fondest dreams and hopes transforming into reality.
Something is inspiring when it makes you want to do or be more
than you are.
Independent Writing and Editing Professional
Something inspiring makes you determined to achieve your
potential in the direction in which it triggers you.
Something inspiring makes you want to wake up every day with the
motivation to keep pushing yourself one step ahead to achieve your potential.
Each failure should be an impetus to greater success
One square of chocolate inspires me to have another :
Robert J. Tamasy
"Inspiring" means motivating you to aim higher than
you've ever aimed, to become more than you've ever been, to envision your
fondest dreams and hopes transforming into reality.
The following CONTEST
GUIDELINES posted on my website, offer a picture window into my advice on
crafting an inspiring story:
Perhaps they might even inspire
some of you to submit a story for this annual contest!
Inspire,
motivate, uplift the reader’s spirits or
give them an ‘aha’ moment
of awareness.
Although no rule is absolute, and stories certainly can contain
elements of sadness, try to focus your story so that overall the
positive shines through. (Yes, even humorous stories can uplift and inspire!)
Invite
your readers in so they can experience and feel the power of your story.
Avoid preaching. Don’t
tell the reader how to feel, how to live, how to think, etc. Let them feel it for themselves and
draw their own conclusions.
If
your story has a spiritual message, be sure it has universal appeal.
Avoid proselytizing. Stories must be written so
that people of all beliefs can relate to the message. Do not
promote any given religion, religious beliefs, ritual or deity.
Stick
to one central theme and develop it fully.
First try completing this one sentence: “My story is about . . .”
Once you have established your central theme and understand the central
message you want to convey, let all your paragraphs flow from that one
sentence.
And
then, after your story is written, polish it to perfection.
After you have written your story, give it to at several writer
friends or an internet critique group for their unbiased input. Tell them you
asking for their help to make your story as strong as possible. Then
listen, listen, listen.
Want
to participate? Visit http://tales2inspire.com/?page_id=11
for
more details.
Deadline
date for 2015: May 1, 2015
Lois
initiated her Tales2Inspire™ “Authors Helping Authors” project/contest about 3 ½
years ago. Little did she know how fast it would go viral, literally taking
over her life with passion. So far she has published winning inspiring stories
from over fifty-three talented authors, each story published in one of the four
Tales2Inspire ™collections, . . . and counting. Lois is proud she has
been able to help so
many
talented authors on their individual roads to discovery.
Thank you for that enlightening article, Lois!
Author Bio
After
twenty years as an active educator, Lois W. Stern continued to pursue her love
of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As she created
and authored her column Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, she
solidified her special niche of investigative journalism and put those same
talents to work while writing two books on aesthetics, Sex, Lies and
Cosmetic Surgery and Tick, Tock, Stop the Clock – Getting Pretty on
Your Lunch Hour to address many of the less invasive paths to
beauty.
After
these forays into writing, Lois began creating what she calls ‘Inner
Beauty’ stories - inspiring stories to touch the heart and soul. She initiated
her Tales2Inspire™ “Authors Helping Authors” project/contest as a means
of sharing inspirational messages written by authors from across the globe. One
of her goals has been to help talented authors build solid platforms on their
individual paths to discovery. "Tales2Inspire™ began a whole new
chapter in my life,” says Lois.
Author Links:
Website/Blog: www.tales2inspire.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/loiswster
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyFabBeautyBlog
Amazon Author Central page: http://www.amazon.com/Lois-W.-Stern/e/B005HOO640/
Books:
Since writing this article, Tales2Inspire has published its Crystal Collection - Stories that Tickle the Funny Bone. The theme for 2016 is inspiring animal stories (animals of feathers or fur.) Deadline date: Feb. 15, 2016. If you think you have one to enter (no submission fee) check out the details at www.tales2inspire.com.
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