“Let us also produce some bold act of our own — and join the ranks of the most emulated.”
SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 98.13b
Here’s a strong challenge from The Daily Stoic today: it’s not enough to simply sit around being inspired by the writings of the great philosophers and reading books that lift our spirits. We should also seek to lift the spirits of others — to inspire others.
It’s not wrong to feel lifted up and filled with energy and positivity from those who are wiser than us. But at a certain point, you have to ask yourself: why not me? Why can’t I be a producer of inspiration, too? Why can’t I inspire people by showing what I’ve learned and putting it into action?
The answer is that you can, of course. You absolutely can create inspiration in other people. And isn’t that more valuable than just feeling warm and fuzzy about something that you read? Imagine letting that overflow out of you — and not in the form of lecturing or brow-beating, but in implementing the wisdom you’ve learned into concrete actions.
Now imagine someone else seeing how you’ve taken real action and have adjusted your behaviors to match what you now understand to be good and true. That person now feels full of inspiration that you planted, and may take action themselves! How awesome is that?
So think about being a net producer instead of just a consumer, and see if you can’t spread the excitement around a little. That’s what I’m trying to do 🙂