It's not uncommon to meet people who you know as soon as you are in their company, that they are not really inspired. You know what I mean...people who are lethargic, uninteresting, slow, negative and mostly downbeat. People who always see the bad side of everything. Sometimes I think they actually enjoy being that way. I guess in some cases it's not really their fault. Perhaps life has just turned on them in a bad way, or they are down on their luck. But this can also manifest itself in a group or team of people. It can spread like a cancer in any group environment...and very often does. This of course happens to us all from time to time, either on a personal level, or in a group situation. What's important is finding a way of snapping out of this atmosphere of pessimism, despair and despondency. Enter, Inspiration.
Inspiration is a medicine for your soul. When life starts to push you around and refuses to dance to the beat of your Drum...it's time for a dosage of good old Inspiration. Inspiration works on us like a stimulant or injection. It can change our mood, our perception, our energy levels and even our self-belief. Infact, sometimes when we are very down and even depressed, all we need is a splash of inspiration to help us feel confident and competitive again.
Our thoughts create our feelings, so it's ultra important to feed our thoughts with uplifting notions, concepts, beliefs and philosophies. Remember, we become what we think and feel. At any given moment our mood can change according to what we see, hear, touch, experience, or even smell. Yes, smell. The good news is that we (as humans) have the ability to change our moods almost at will by changing our thoughts. Infact, it's been said that the level of our success can mirror the level of our thoughts (in a positive sense). However, can we do this collectively, as a group? Well I believe we can.
To achieve any goal or objective as a group or team we use what is often referred to as "Unity of Purpose". So, why not use UOP to reach our goal or objective of collective inspiration? Sounds sensible, possible and achievable to me. The secret to successful UOP is to make sure all stakeholders are absolutely focused 100% on the task, goal or objective...whatever you wish to call it. In this case it's some inspiration. Firstly though there is one very important thing we must do, and that is to establish our COP....clarity of purpose. Everyone must understand what it is we are trying to do, why we are doing it, when we will do it and of course, how we are going to do it. When all that is established we can then proceed to get to work on it. Here are some ideas;
1. Get the team to meet up once a week, and talk about all the good things that they did over the previous week.
2. Write down on a notice board (where all can see) all the success' the team have had over the last 2/3 years.
3. Find a top class Inspirational/Motivational book, buy some copies get all team members to read it. Then at you meetings discuss the findings in the book.
4. Have the team socialise together once every 5/6 weeks.
5. Commence a 6/8 week coaching programme with a suitable Coach.
6. Suggest inspirational Ted talk videos that each member must watch every week or two.
7. Have a motivational speaker come in and give a talk, maybe every 5/6 weeks.
8. Form a team and enter into competitions, ie sports team, quiz team or adventure pursuits team.
9. Do some volunteering/charity work together as a team.
10. Train for and run a marathon together, raising funds to a cause you collectively agree on.
There you go, that's ten just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many more you could come up with. Any of the above undertakings will create an environment where inspiration and motivation can build and thrive. Leadership and cooperation will be very important in establishing an inspired team, so elect your leaders carefully and get to work planning your team's way out of mediocrity, boredom and lethargy, and into a space where all team members can feel inspired and confident in themselves, their work colleagues and their ability to deliver results together.
"Inspiration is when you feel a deep rooted passion and motivation to achieve something"