From Proving to Inspiring

Recently I was talking with a good friend, a leader I admire greatly, and he shared with humility that at this point in his life he really has nothing left to prove. It had me wondering how much of our lives we spend proving ourselves? Proving that we are good enough, smart enough, successful enough—as leaders, parents, spouses, sons and daughters. Proving that we are worthy of love, respect and recognition.

What are you still proving? And what have you stopped trying to prove?

Consider what the impact could be of shifting your focus from proving yourself to inspiring yourself—and others. Not only what happens in your life, but what happens to the results in your business. You may have more fun, while at the same time being surprised—and by the way, enriched—by what the people around you are also inspired to do, and be.

I wonder what would happen if more of us spent less energy trying to prove our greatness, and more energy inspiring greatness in ourselves and others. If we were focused less on what we’re proving TO the world, and more on what we’re leaving behind FOR the world.

I believe this shift from proving to inspiring is one of the ways we evolve as leaders, and as human beings, from a primarily high-performance focus to a wisdom focus. And I suspect that this will help us to not only create a world that works well (high-performance), but also create a world in which we can live well (wisdom).

What does evolving from proving to inspiring, from high-performance to wisdom, look like to you? Please join the conversation, and consider sharing your inspiration and wisdom on either facebook or LinkedIn.