Thoughts on Excellence Free E-Newsletter Series
Volume 22, Issue No. 1a
September 1, 2024
By Dan Coughlin
In MWD (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), inspiration is defined as the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions. While that’s a fairly boring definition for such a dynamic word, it does lay a good foundation for this article.
An inspiration affects our essence because it impacts our thoughts, emotions, and will. Inspirations perform a very important role toward increasing the health of our essence. Inspirations tend to draw out the very best within us and guide us toward an even higher level in our thoughts and emotions.
So what inspires you? What are your inspirations?
I’m serious about this. Really consider the past six months. What really moved your thoughts, your emotions, and/or your will?
A birth of a child, a funeral, a film, a book, an experience with your spouse or children or friends, a moment in nature, or an understanding about yourself that you never had before. What has moved your thoughts, what has touched your emotions, or what has affected the direction your essence is heading in.
Slow way down.
Consider what has inspired you.
Now allow yourself to be inspired in the next month. Let experiences soak into your essence. Some of those experiences might really move you. In doing so those experiences might help you to see parts of your essence that you want to bring out even more or dig into even deeper.
This process of being inspired can help you to strengthen the health of your essence.
Essential Walk Questions for You to Consider
- In the past 100 days, what has inspired you?
- For each thing that has inspired you, what did it help you to understand about what are the most important thoughts, emotions, and self-direction that you want to have in your life on a regular basis.
- What inspirational experiences can you allow yourself to have in the next 100 days? (These can be as simple as having a one-hour conversation with one of your children or your spouse or your parents or a good friend.)
About Dan Coughlin
Since 1998, Dan Coughlin has worked with serious-minded leaders and executives to consistently deliver excellence. He provides Executive Coaching, Leadership and Executive Development Group Coaching Programs, and seminars to improve leadership and management performance. His topics are personal effectiveness, interpersonal effectiveness, leadership, teamwork, and management. He also guides strategic decision-making meetings.
Republishing Articles
My newsletters, Thoughts on Excellence, have been republished in approximately 40 trade magazines, on-line publications, and internal publications for businesses, universities, and not-for-profit organizations over the past 20+ years. If you would like to republish all or part of my monthly articles, please send me an e-mail at dan@thecoughlincompany.com with the name of the article you want in the subject heading. I will send you the article in a word document.