Tip: Inspiration without information leads to frustration!
Tip of the Week
02/25/13
Tip: Inspiration without information leads to frustration!
I love inspiration! There is nothing better to me than to have my spirits lifted and to feel motivated and energized inside. It causes me to have a lift in my step and an air of excitement about my day. However, I have learned painfully over the years that inspiration can only take me so far. I also have to have information to help me complete whatever journey I am on or task I am doing. Maybe a story will illustrate my point.
Years ago, I went to Dallas, Texas for a huge motivational seminar. There were over 2,000 people in attendance and it was an exciting time. The speakers were loud and lively. People were up in their chairs. The air was electric. Everywhere you looked, you could see people who were filled with excitement and enthusiasm. The seminar lasted an entire weekend and I can honestly say that by the time I got to the Dallas airport to head back home, I was exhausted. There was something wrong inside of me that I couldn’t quite understand and I remember trying to get to the bottom of the feeling, but just wasn’t able to tell what it was.
While standing in line to board the plane, a girl about 30 or 40 feet away from me started waving and jumping up and down as she headed in my direction. Since I did not recognize her, I couldn’t understand why she was waving to me. When she got close, the guy in front of me, who had been standing there rather subdued, reached out and hugged her. I realized then that she had been waving to him all along. She said in an excited voice, “Wasn’t it a great weekend? Didn’t we have a great time? Aren’t you glad you came?!” He said, “Yes, it was an exciting weekend and I had a great time, but in terms of actually having something that I can take back home and use on a daily basis, I am no better off now than when I arrived on Friday afternoon.” They both sort of laughed it off and then she turned and went her way.
When he said those words, it was as though he put his finger right on what I had been feeling inside and was not able to verbalize to myself. We had been given plenty of inspiration, but we had not been given any information. It was just a lot of talk. Now, please understand and hear me well…I know that words are powerful and talk can be one of the most useful mediums of communication in the world today. However, the words must have some sort of concrete meaning to them to give direction, guidance, and purpose.
All the way home I thought about what the gentleman at the airport had said. It was then that I decided that as an inspirational and motivational speaker, I also want to always have good information that people can use and apply on a daily basis.
I’m sure you have heard of the sales concept of “steak and sizzle”. Restaurants get their steaks sizzling hot so they will make a lot of noise and really look good, but the steak itself has to be tender and juicy and come through as well. While the sizzle is important, it takes both in order to make a delicious meal. In this case, the inspiration is the sizzle and the information is the steak.
I think excitement is a powerful tool. Excitement and energy get us started on our journey, but good information helps us reach our final destination. This is especially true in the world of business. We need to be excited about our business, our lives and our future, and we also need to have some good information from those who have gone before us to help us find our way. Having a mentor or someone who has actually accomplished something in life is an excellent way to gain good information to go along with the inspiration.
Life is a tricky experience. Billboards, magazines, television commercials and seminar leaders are trying to tell you how life works. They are all calling for your attention. I can help you with that by reminding you that there are two things that you need to succeed in whatever you do. First, you need inspiration in order to give you the motivation to do something with your life. And, then you need information that will give you the specific steps on how to go about doing it. Those two together make a powerful, powerful combination!
If you are lopsided today with one of those, let me encourage you to become a little more balanced. I can assure you that if you have those two together, you will be a winner and succeed in all that you do.
Tip: Inspiration without information leads to frustration!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
