4 Tried and True Ways To Inspire Your Inner Greatness

If you want to inspire yourself to greatness then you need to consciously examine your habits and learn to change them when they no longer serve your purpose.

I had a speech impediment and couldn’t even say my name without stuttering. I had somehow gotten away with it until my 2nd or 3rd year of university when I had to present a project. I decided to get into speech therapy, a 6-week training, and I honestly thought I’d be fluent after six weeks. Boy, was I wrong! Even though I had learned fluency skills and learned how to overcome some of my fears, it was easier in the clinical environment than the “real world”.

My fears came back and I started avoiding again. After two weeks, I went back to the clinic and my speech therapist asked how I was doing since the training. I replied, “It’s not working. I can’t seem to get over my fears. I still think I’m going to stutter and so I keep avoiding.”

“Are you practicing your fluency skills with the recording we gave you?”

“No,” I replied.

This is when she made me examine my habits and my motivation. This is the point where I truly started to build my resilience muscle.

She said, “You can practice your fluency skills and overcome one fear at a time or you can give up and continue struggling with your speech.”

You inner greatness is a virtue that you have to nurture, you have to invest in it and be intentional about it. You have to chase your inner greatness, holding an unwavering belief that you are capable of excelling. I had to do exactly that and it took me a long time to even believe that I could be a professional speaker, but here I am today.

I believe there are 4 main ways to inspire your greatness:

‍

1.     Strong Core Values

Think of your values as a GPS. Your core values unconsciously motivate you, shaping your future. They will drive your behaviours and influence your actions; they will provide you with a clear path on your mission. However, you may not even be aware of what your core values are! I just completed a master class on this very topic with my coaching group and I’ll write a blog later explaining a step-by-step process on how you can find your core values.

‍

2.     Unshakeable Belief

If you truly believe in your purpose or your vision then nothing can stop you from being great.

I didn’t believe that I could be a professional speaker, but I did believe that I could be more fluent if I just practiced and faced my fears one at a time. As I started to believe the latter, my journey took me to new heights.

Go against the grain, be courageous, and up for rising to the occasion when obstacles stand in your way. There is only one person who can stop you from unlocking your inner greatness and it's you.

3.     Modeling Your Mentors and Smart Questions

Resilient leaders are masters in effective decision-making. Do you know why? They model their mentors and ask, “What would (name) do in this situation?” “What would (name) see, hear and feel?”

If they want more than just mentor advice, they ask four smart questions:

“What will happen if I take this step?”  

“What will happen if I don’t take this step?”

“What will not happen if I take this step?”

“What will not happen if I don’t take this step?” 

‍

4.     Habits and Goals

I have a saying: Consistency Creates Competency

Discipline is an important aspect of unleashing your inner greatness. Part of success lies in repetition and taking small steps consistently over time. It requires practice, hard work, and patience in equal measure.

When you want to be healthy, you create habits and goals that help you get to your ideal health.

When you want to be fit, you make time to go to the gym or go for a jog.

When you want to be a good writer, you start with journaling, blogging, article-writing, until you know you can write a book!

When you want to be a confident speaker, you join Toastmasters or any other similar club and keep practicing your speaking skills.

Therefore, develop habits that will lead to your success and quash any behaviours or habits that are holding you back.

One of the most powerful steps to unleashing your inner greatness is recognizing that you are your greatest influence. So, rather than allowing your past to eat you up, learn from the mistakes you’ve made and look at them as a blessing.

Inspiring your inner greatness will be a constant quest throughout your life, it isn't something that you achieve - like a goal. It's an inner battle that you define through your values and your habits. You don’t need external sources to validate your achievements. It’s you who must hold yourself in the highest regard, and this too keeps you moving in the most positive direction.

Are you ready to reposition your thoughts and point them towards excellent?