The truth is, many impress, but few inspire. The trouble with seeking to impress is that it requires so little of our heart and soul. But to inspire...that must be the greatest of accomplishments, for inspiring others allows us to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.
Recently a friend of mine in her seventies greatly inspired me when she told me that the most important thing she could do was give her life away. [The] simple statement gave me something to aim for, a goal worthy of pursuit....
When considering the big picture of life, it's important that we ask ourselves, "Do I want to seek to impress or live to inspire?" How we answer that question will define how we live. If we seek to impress, then we will continue to feel empty despite each new accomplishment...but when we refuse to be defined by external things, our focus changes, and we are free to inspire others, because we know that our value is in who we are, not how we look.
Recently a friend of mine in her seventies greatly inspired me when she told me that the most important thing she could do was give her life away. [The] simple statement gave me something to aim for, a goal worthy of pursuit....
When considering the big picture of life, it's important that we ask ourselves, "Do I want to seek to impress or live to inspire?" How we answer that question will define how we live. If we seek to impress, then we will continue to feel empty despite each new accomplishment...but when we refuse to be defined by external things, our focus changes, and we are free to inspire others, because we know that our value is in who we are, not how we look.
- Life Inside the Thin Cage, Constance Rhodes
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