"Where there is no vision, the people will perish." Proverbs 29:18
One of my favorite coaching questions is "What jazzes you most?" Or, "What jazzes you most about _____?" When folks take a moment, contemplate, and respond to that question, something magical happens. They reconnect with their own inspiration. They remember why they do what they do, and they become re-energized and re-engaged. New ideas, new connections, new pathways appear out of nowhere. Tasks are accomplished with ease. Clarity of purpose returns. It becomes easier to improvise and create. Things just flow.
This question is asked in every New Member Forum for our Rotary Club. "What jazzes you most about Rotary?" "Why did you join Rotary and why do you stay?" This sets the stage for an awesome exchange between newer members and more experienced members. We all walk away completely turned on, tuned in and in touch with our passion for this wonderful international service club. We energize ourselves and each other and go out and do some more cool things for the world and our community. Works every time!
We participated in a networking session last week at www.goBRANDgo.com in which a variation of this question was asked as we went around the room. "What is the most awesome thing that's happened for you in the past two weeks?" Folks were energized by the wins and accomplishments of perfect strangers. And, at the end of a long day's work on a dark, rainy winter's night, this massive amount of positive energy just hit the spot.
As we wind ourselves tight around demands coming at us from every direction and the zillions of tasks we must perform each and every day, it's easy to lose touch with our purpose or our vision for how we can make things better in the world. Or, we forget why we do what we do. And, the work becomes…well, work. We work out of a sense of obligation, rather than inspiration. There's nothing wrong with a healthy sense of obligation. It just helps to balance obligation with inspiration.
There have been times when I find myself waiting to become inspired to do something. And I wait and wait for that moment of inspiration and it may come, but usually at the most inconvenient time. And, so I have learned to inspire myself on demand. It starts with just doing what needs to be done while simultaneously connecting with what jazzes me most. Instant and infinite energy suddenly becomes available for the task at hand.
The moment you take responsibility for your own inspiration, doors fly open for you.
For a special hit of inspiration, go to www.gladdenstudios.com and check out Cindy's amazing Jazz It Up Wraps. Each wrap is a unique tapestry, and is a product of Cindy's creativity. Cindy, the consummate artist, credits her mother for inspiring her Jazz It Ups.
