For anyone who read our most recent Featured Story, you know that when Zack Skow first heard about the 16-year-old shelter dog named Henry, he could have walked away and said, “Not my problem.” [[1]] But, he didn’t. Zach knew that he could do something to help Henry, so he stepped up to do what he could. Not only did that choice help a senior dog, but it also enriched the life of Henry’s eventual forever family and touched the hearts of so many who read about their story.
Check out the story here if you missed it: https://beinspprd.wpengine.com/2022/02/how-one-inspiring-man-changed-this-dogs-life/
What that story and so many others remind us of is that it’s never too late to change your life, and in doing so you can also inspire change in others!
Change is a conscious choice. That is why the team at Be Inspired wants to offer some suggestions below that you can begin taking to create change and influence today’s world positively.
1. Use Your Voice
About 20% of students report that someone bullies them, either in-person or online. People who experience cyberbullying issues are more likely to have the same thing happen offline. Those figures are significantly higher for students of color, people with disabilities, and young people who are perceived or identify as LGBTQIA. [[2]]
54% of students who experience bullying say that when a bystander spends time with them, it improves things. Other actions that left a positive effect included talking to them, helping to get away, or offering advice. [[3]]
Use your voice. Speak your truth and honor yourself. It can change everything.
2. Take a Step
It’s not enough to post something on social media or recognize that someone needs help, although that’s a good first step. Thoughts and prayers are nice and perhaps encouraging, but it is also necessary to offer a helping hand. Choose to take meaningful action and do something even if it’s small to create a positive change in your life and/or the lives of others.
3. Communicate
It is undeniable that there are limitless benefits of communicating with others. Here are 7 that we found written by CLIMB Professional Development and Training at the Portland Community College. [[4]]
- Building Trust- Effective communication fosters trust with others.
- Preventing or Resolving Problems- Often by talking through things with another person, an issue can be prevented or a resolution can be found.
- Providing Clarity and Direction- Expectations can be communicated and clarifying questions can be asked preventing issues down the line.
- Creates better relationships- This one goes without saying, the more you’re communicating in your relationships the more opportunities you have to understand the other person and the more interpersonal intimacy you can experience.
- Increases engagement- People want to feel heard and be understood. The more this happens the more engaged someone may feel in the relationship.
- Improved productivity- Effective communication helps remove guesswork and mistakes.
- Promotes team building- Work together more effectively as a unit by communicating more clearly!
We all want to feel connected. Be specific with your choices. What is it that you hope to accomplish, and why is that outcome important to you right now? People are at their best when they combine integrity with a drive to help others meet a specific goal. Be true to yourself, authentic with others, and keep those communication lines open.
4. Be Bold
Henry Ford said it the best. “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” Once you decide that change is necessary, tap into your courage to see it through to the end. Everyone has whispers of self-doubt, but you can choose to ignore them. Be Bold. Be Brave!
5. Keep Learning
People learn more from their mistakes than their successes. When you receive negative feedback, try not to take that personally but rather see it as an opportunity and use that information to make yourself better. We know, it’s tempting to take criticism personally, but you’ll change more when you take the time to understand yourself and the people who try to help.
[[1]] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms1813431; [[2]] https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp ; [[3]] https://njbullying.org/documents/YVPMarch2010.pdf ; [[4]] https://climb.pcc.edu/blog/the-7-benefits-of-effective-communication-in-personal-and-professional-settings
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