It will if you let it. I most often say it to myself, but occasionally, I say it to others too. I said it recently in response to a person who was complaining about how irritating certain posts on social media were. I thought he was going to tell me the posts about politics were annoying, or the posts that shared too much personal information were irritating. Or maybe the posts that were gossipy in nature bothered him. But the posts he was talking about were the ones that were motivational quips, inspirational sayings, or provoking quotes. He commented that those types of posts don’t impact anyone. My response to him, “they will if you let them.”
Some people don’t need to post quotes on social media or on sticky notes around their home with motivational sayings or inspiration. But to say that those quotes or sayings don’t impact you presents red flags for me. To shut yourself down to inspiration is to shut yourself down to improving your emotional intelligence which is undeniably (research based, not a Jackie-claim) a highly important skill to practice and grow.
Maybe your inspiration comes from various sources other reading motivational or inspirational quotes and applying them to your life, or from reading leadership or other, similar, books, or attending leadership training. That’s great! But I suspect that for some people, they don’t seek inspiration from anywhere. They don’t seek motivation from any source. From experience I can tell you that there are certainly some people who would benefit tremendously from applying some of those quotes to their own lives and taking a good look internally.
No matter where you might seek to gain inspiration for self-growth, it only works if you allow it to. You must listen with an open mind, attend without a wall of your current perceptions keeping you from benefitting from the message. I believe that is what is happening when someone doesn’t see value in something meant to inspire. Something internal is keeping them from hearing and applying the message. I think it’s like when someone goes to a group like alcoholics anonymous for the first time because he or she is mandated to be there for whatever reason. The person isn’t ready and willing to listen openly and admit that he can benefit from the message. But when he admits that he does need that support and help and that he is ready for it to work for him, then it does. It will if you allow it to.
It is not a weakness to admit that you have room for improvement and seek out resources to help you achieve improvement. It seems as if there are people who feel their leadership, parenting, listening, communication, relationship, (etc.) skills are perfect and that they cannot get any better. No matter who you are, that’s simply not true. If you are skipping opportunities to improve – whether it is by ignoring an inspirational quote on Facebook, or choosing not to attend an event, or something else – it makes me curious as to why. If you feel it is because those things are hokey and won’t matter, my response to you – they will matter if you allow them to.
I know some of you might be thinking that there are some people who will never get it and never want to improve their lives. And maybe you’re right. But I believe that people can and do change. It is possible, and you never know what quote, event, article, or experience might be just the thing needed for them to change for the better. Because when you decided to allow it to change you, it will.