Inspiring Action

                                         Photo CC- By SEO

This week I watched a TED Talk by Simon Sinek. In his talk he spoke about how great leaders inspire action. He speaks of “the golden circle” and when  using it,  you question why?, How?, and What?. “What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? As a result, the way we think, we act.” Your passion drives you, but it is your choice to make something happen from that passion. 

I took me while to get interested in this talk, but Simon has a message that really speaks volumes. “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe”. I thought that this was genius! I mean, I would take in all the business I could get, but when breaking it down to a more personal level, I want to have a support group that holds the same values and beliefs that I do. I want them to push me to my limits because they truly care about me and believe in what I am doing.  I don’t necessarily want them around if it’s just so they can someday take credit for whatever they helped me with at the time. I could care less if I had that kind of support system, and I think it runs true to most aspects of life. 

This talk was about finding something that you believe in, setting a goal, and working towards it. It’s not about telling people what you want, it’s about showing them your passion, being open to new ideas, and finding ways to spread your passion and reach your goal at the same time. This is when you start to inspire others, they become excited about what you are doing and they want to join. Simon stated, “those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s those who start with “why” that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them”. I thought this statement was extremely accurate; when you see someone is passionate about something and going about it in the right ways, others become excited about what they are doing and what to join. They want to follow and inspire. I believe this to be true in any profession, and I believe it is extremely true in the profession of teaching.  I hope to be so passionate about my career and students that they become passionate about their education. I hope that they can find what interests them and what they believe in, and one day become leaders who inspire many.