Let Your Authenticity Be An Inspiration To Others

The ability to discover our truest potential starts with one simple, yet complex decision – to get up and take one step at a time.…

ABE

In my book LIFE LESSONS A Purpose Driven Leadership Journey, I opened up about how my decision to always get up, get dressed and show up early in my career helped me to unlock opportunities that quite frankly I never felt qualified for, yet was equally prepared to step into and give my best shot.

Fast forward to today, this approach still happens to be a key ingredient that keeps me winning on life’s journey. There is power in showing up and even more powerful when this decision is paired with preparation. This combination sets off a certain vibration that overtime exemplifies a brand of excellence. Not only does this approach increase your chances at success, it positions you to attract, inspire and influence others that you may not even realise are watching.

Start Moving And Keep Going

Even on your worst day, you have a real opportunity to be an inspiration to others that may be watching your progress in adoration. As a professional mentor, the one question I get asked most frequently is “how do you do it all?” Truth be told, it comes down to a conscious decision to keep going; ultimately because I have ambitious life goals and because I know that others are watching. Both the persons that I may be inspiring as part of my own journey and if I can be brutally honest, the others that would probably like to see me slip and fall.

Nevertheless, I’ll let you in on a little secret because it’s important that you know this. Life is tough so the conscious decision to get up and go everyday becomes more about living a life of discipline. We all encounter life’s challenges! The most successful people are the ones that keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving; even on the days when they don’t feel like it. They develop daily habits and routines that keep them moving forward.  High achievers tend to keep their focus fixed on sustaining the personal standards that have shaped their past successes, the quality of life they enjoy and ultimately, who they have become in the process of acquiring a certain level of success.

Life has a way of coming at us hard when we are moving in alignment with our dreams and aspirations. Successful people are so wired to keep moving in pursuit of excellence that often times other people don’t even realize the deviation from their personal standards. When you have developed certain habits, a disciplined approach to life is what tends to keep you going. So in reality, while you maybe struggling a bit and wavering in your ability to meet our own best standards, you tend to still show up and operate from a place of excellence.

Be An Inspiration

The greatest role we can play in this life is to positively touch and transform the lives of others, while in your own climb to success. In the last few years, witnessing first hand the personal transformation of others has been my greatest source of personal and professional fulfillment. The decision to keep showing up and exemplifying excellence goes along way in inspiring others to reach for their own version of success. The ability to add value, coach, mentor and help to mold the lives of others is a gift that should never be taken for granted.

Society has created a glamorous version of what success looks like, but truth be told the struggle is real.  Our ability to show up authentically in any situation while embracing our own personal challenges becomes a real source of power that triggers new layers of growth.  Life is a journey with real highs and real lows so it is important that we find the thing that keeps us centered, especially during the tough times. For me, this is my faith and the firm belief that with time “this too shall pass”,  whatever ” this” is in the moment.

A Leader’s Obligation

As leaders, we too encounter personal struggles yet this does not give us an excuse to diviate from our obligation to set a good example that helps us to connect and inspire others. We simply have to keep showing up and being authentic in our connections. The people we lead need to know that we too are human. This presents a great opportunity for us to leverage the art of storytelling as we share our own personal experiences to encourage and inspire others by sharing a different perspective.

Showing up through all the highs and lows helps to build a degree of resilience while igniting a sense of  hope in others so that they too can win with a renewed level of self belief, consistency and discipline.

Ultimately, how you choose to show up daily is entirely up to you. Just know that on your toughest days someone out there is still looking up to you for that much needed source of inspiration to see them through. The willingness to pay it forward by setting a good example carries a ripple effect that compounds your own growth as you pay it forward, as well as the personal and professional development of others. Continue to walk in your authenticity as we all need to be inspired and to embrace the gift of being a true inspiration to others.