Finding Inspiration

by | Jun 11, 2018 | goal setting, Publishing

As I begin my seventh month running Ross & Associates, LLC, I thought I’d show you and describe four types of objects on the floating shelf above my desk that help motivate me to meet my goals every day. (I’m sure you have your own versions of these as well, inspirational tokens, books, photos, or pictures that have personal meaning and value.)

1. Inspirational works by my favorite authors/artists.

The Lyrics of Bob Dylan and The Complete Works of Shakespeare represent giant leaps of artistic achievement. Very few of us can even conceive of leaving behind a legacy on the order of a Shakespeare or Dylan. But today we can enjoy their priceless gifts to humankind; get inspiration from their plays, poems, and songs; and take our own small steps along the singular paths that they have created. We need to expose and immerse ourselves in works of great proportions, examples of the pinnacle of creative excellence, that have enduring value. We need to see and feel what the highest standards are, what can be accomplished with talent, opportunity, and discipline, and strive not to compromise our own efforts or settle for mediocrity.

2. Two of my own published books.

These small volumes, the first one written in 2007 and the second seven years later–though neither Shakespeare nor Jim Collins–are evidence for me that I can get something substantial done that may be worth sharing with others, if I have a good idea, work hard at expounding on it, put aside my ego, and manage to a strict deadline. My goal is not to wait another seven years to write another one; so I have only three more years to go. Tick, tock; tick, tock.

3. Blank diaries.

These empty pages represent work yet to be done (perhaps my next book, but more likely a project for a client), and remind me that I need to do more, produce more, contribute more. What I have done so far is not enough. Every day I fill these white pages* with thoughts in ink or pencil, drafts for myself and for clients, which sometimes become ideas or solutions that I can present as finished work or a publishable piece. Many of these will fail to hit their mark, of course, but over time some may hit the bull’s eye. (*This is really just a metaphor since, like most of us, I work almost exclusively on a computer.)

4. Bronze sculpture of a “Frog with Book.”

This was a gift from a dear friend of mine, no longer with us, who gave me this precious objet d’art as a token of his gratitude. I was not singled out for his generosity. He gave one of these to each of his friends who helped him in some way along his life’s journey. Inspired by him, I used to give a version of this to members of my tech team, for whom rewards were not as immediate as they were for the sales team, who could “give themselves a raise” every day by making a sale. I called it the Making It Happen Award, and it consisted of the honoree’s name on a plaque and a monogrammed T-shirt. Each month the team (not me) would vote on the person who they thought “made something happen” by making someone else’s work easier, or helped a team member solve a problem. The award and recognition was about having an impact on the team, which could have been something as simple as a small selfless act that made the team improve their efficiency or results by helping re-write some code or create a short-cut script of some kind. Or maybe it was just buying everyone donuts one morning.
This should remind all of us that whatever we accomplish, we don’t do it alone.