Breaking the Ice

Real-Life Inspiration?

An Overview?

Defeating The Root Cause of Burnout

"If you can dream—and not make dreams your master..." -Rudyard Kipling 1895

Deep down inside, we are waiting for our inward drive and ambition to achieve our goals and have meaning in our lives. Our values reveal their true flavor or character when tested with adversity, failure, and setbacks.?

Breaking the Ice

People always publicly ask me, "You must love kids." I smile and say, "I just really love my wife."

When breaking the ice with a new audience or connecting with a new friend, I often relate to people who have been through adversity rather than just achieved success. One cherished quote resonates deeply with me:

"People are like tea bags. You never truly know their strength or flavor until they're in hot water."

When our new reality is burnout, boredom, disease, famine, earthquakes, hurricanes, social divide, rumors of war, recessions, volatility, and challenges, we must know how to lead through adversity and not rely on self-help and ambiguous motivational content.

For example, according to the success literature of our time:?

Show me your success; I'll show you your sales. Success sells. People want to be around successful people—the more successful, the more influential.?

We should become better leaders and be influential to be impactful.?

However, if we forget the valuable lessons of having the skills to push through adversity, we will burn out or burn down in boredom or feel under-challenged.?

Ever feel bored in life and work like you were created with more gifts or abilities? You are not alone. So many of us have so much more to offer.

Today, everywhere I look, the focus is on platform, image, influence, and leadership.

What’s more, most of us are inundated with noisy external information. Distractions about other people’s…success.

Then we look to the internal: our image, our influence, our results, our education, our pedigree, our performance, our needs, our bias, our leadership, our identity, and our success.?

This root causes symptoms like burnout/burndown and impacts dinner table conversations at home. This cycle can cause you to lose focus on what matters in life and work.

“Lessons” for your Real Life Defined

To help you understand where we are going together, much like an introduction or conversation, I want to connect with you and not just communicate principles or content for you to read. The world is filled with so much content and noise that knowing where to invest our time can be hard.?

We will define a lesson as the sweet spot of wisdom, competency, and inspiration.?

Inspiration and influence are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings and implications. Understanding the difference between the two can help us better appreciate their impact on our lives.

As a high achiever, I am sure you set goals. We both agree that someone who doesn’t set goals is used by someone who does. The problem is when we set goals and push with grit. What do you usually do next? You set more goals, and the cycle starts over. If you are not inspired to know your goals' purpose, you will never enjoy pursuing them, regardless of your impact level.?

Inspiration refers to being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially something creative. The spark ignites our imagination and drives us to pursue our goals and dreams. Inspiration can come from various sources, such as nature, art, music, literature, a dream, an event, adversity, or God.?

It is a deeply personal and internal experience that often leads to a sense of passion, purpose, and deeper meaning. On the other hand, influence refers to the capacity to attract followers.?

Influence involves the power to shape or sway the thoughts, actions, or decisions of others. It can be exerted through direct communication, social interactions, role modeling, or disseminating ideas and values. Influence can come from individuals, groups, institutions, or persuasion.

The critical difference between inspiration and influence lies in their direction and long-term impact.?

Inspiration is a force that originates within us, driving us to create, innovate, and pursue our aspirations. It is a positive and uplifting experience that empowers us to move forward regardless of circumstance.?

Conversely, influence comes from external sources and can have both positive and negative effects. It can sometimes shape our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors without realizing it.

Because the most influential leaders of the past encouraged people with inspiration to overcome challenges, they taught us to rise to the crisis before us and to face adversity.

I could be ineffective in influencing people in the long term because my inspiration or motives are selfish. Even if I have the world's greatest information or knowledge but need more wisdom or skill to apply it, I will be effective in long-term influence and impact.?

I am determined to answer three questions to inspire people in real life:

1. How did some leaders in history rise through adversity when they were stripped of platform, influence, and identity??

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.”― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

2. Of those who pull it off, why are some miserable and others consistently joyful on their journey regardless of circumstances?

3. What inspires people to reach for higher levels of success and significance in real life, and what habits help them improve the most? What elite inspiration habits can propel you towards enduring success and well-being, regardless of gender, age, career, strengths, or personality?

To become inspired, you must learn to apply what you already know.

Real-life inspiration is all about the art and science of how to have freedom in your Real Life.

Margaret Thatcher's life teaches us that true inspiration is born from the fusion of passion and purpose, and it transcends fleeting emotions. When we find our "sweet spot" of conviction and determination, our goals become not just destinations but milestones along the adventure of making a lasting impact on the world.

How can Margaret Thatcher's legacy of leadership and conviction inspire us to find our purpose-driven missions and navigate the challenges of our time with courage and resolve?

In the politics of power, amidst the tumult of social tension, one woman stood firm, her resolve as unyielding as iron. Her name was Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who reshaped the course of history with her unwavering commitment to her vision.

Margaret Thatcher's lasting legacy echoes through history, particularly evident in recent events like the resurgence of identity politics, social unrest, ideological divides, etc. Thatcher's leadership represented a sharp ideological shift towards free-market capitalism and a reduced role of government in the economy.?

Thatcher's journey from the humble beginnings of a grocer's daughter to the pinnacle of political power was marked by her unshakable belief in the power of individual freedom and responsibility.?

Despite facing skepticism and resistance, she forged ahead, driven by her deep-seated inspiration, that her policies would lead to success and strength.

Picture Thatcher, living her quote while standing on her values regardless of the crowd that opposed her. "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." - Margaret Thatcher

An article by Dr. Margie Warrell in Forbes, “Margaret Thatcher: An Icon Of Leadership Courage,” caught my attention. It highlighted her character and ability to inspire a nation.?

Thatcher once said, “You can’t lead from a crowd.”?

“She certainly didn’t. However, it would be a mistake to assume that she didn’t have moments of doubt nor fear the wrath she would face by standing up against Britain’s most powerful unions.? Her conviction to stand by the principles overrode her fear of the consequences. When many might have cowered, she stepped forward. When many may have watered down their stance, she held firm. And when many might have succumbed to the pressure of their peers to take an easier path, less fraught with conflict and confrontation, she kept walking straight along the only path she saw could create the changes Britain needed.”

Many make the mistake of leading from a crowd with influence while lacking the character, competency, and inspiration to stand for what’s right regardless of the bandwagon or majority.?

Real-Life Application

• Today, I challenge you to step out of the noisy crowd of platform-centered influence and learn how to apply these simple truths so that you can be content in all circumstances but never satisfied with remaining the same.
• Set your principles and core values in order because when they are out of order it will eventually cause you to run out of fuel.
• I shared my thoughts on the Lesson of Congruence to set your principles in order at home and work.
• Think about the impact of your social circle and the relationships you keep. Choose positive, inspirational people to walk with who show up during adversity, not just success. Distance yourself from people who do not want you to win in life.
• Despite facing skepticism and resistance and, at times, LESS INFLUENCE than more powerful people groups. However, Margaret Thatcher forged ahead, driven by her deep-seated inspiration, that her policies would lead to success and strength. When faced with being a contrarian, please write down your convictions and then model your beliefs with courage and actions.
• Picture Thatcher, living her quote while standing on her values regardless of the crowd that opposed her. "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." - Margaret Thatcher
• Defeat The Root Cause of Burnout in your life by not allowing goals to master you. For example, you may "own a business," but does the business "own" you? "If you can dream—and not make dreams your master..." -Rudyard Kipling 1895

Feedback is feeding me "forward," and I am thrilled to give credit to any improvements!

Thanks to JD Lott Davis Sarrett Paul Starkey Sarah Caverhill, MBA, CPCC, PCC Vicki Halsey John Holloway Edward Swan Nick Disney Evetta A. Van Rohl Joe Bergeron Brooks McGeever, MBA, CFE Trish Coleman Trish Cole Julia Felton Mike Schindler for commenting along the way!