In a gentle way, you can shake the world.
-Mahatma Gandhi
In times of challenge or uncertainty, inspiration can be a game-changer both on the micro-level and universally. Our greatest leaders and innovators have been known to inspire hope, and it is this ability to inspire that made them iconic. Without inspiration, we wouldn’t have innovation, hope, or creativity. But the most important inspiration doesn’t always occur on the world stage. It can be in the daily things we say and do; the actions we take to make the world a better place.
I think of inspiration as a kind of butterfly effect that can ripple out from each of us to change the world. I’m sure we all can think of times where the actions or words of others have inspired us to live our best lives or to hang on through discouraging times in order to achieve our dreams. In those instances, their inspired kindness or actions had a direct effect on how we reacted positively towards humans and situations. This kind of daily inspiration had a huge impact on my life.
Twelve years ago, when I was still a struggling single mother, I was full of hope as I’d just completed my master’s degree in English. I moved to Southwest Florida to begin my lifetime dream of becoming a writer. I was there for just a few short months when the economy crashed us into a recession. At the time, I was working as a part-time bartender while I drummed up freelance work and tackled the novel I’d always wanted to write. I also applied to teach creative writing classes at night. But with the crash, all of those jobs disappeared. I had to support my family, so I took on full-time shifts and did what I had to do.
Now maybe this sounds like a hopeless time in my life, but it wasn’t, because of one inspirational co-worker who I’d shared my dream with. She was always there to cheer me on. At the end of a long shift, she’d say: “When you sell that first book you and I are ‘gonna buy us a beach bar, and girl, I can’t wait!” Her positive outlook on life was a daily inspiration to keep pursuing my dreams.
Her name is Ellen and she has faced life’s toughest challenges with an amazing outlook on life. She explained to me that she always looked for something in her day to inspire and motivate her to live the best life possible. She told me it could be the silvery dew sparkling on a spider web during her early morning walk or the glow of the sunset at the end of her day that kept her in a positive state of mind. I learned through her, that these moments of inspiration could change my life as well.
By this point, you’re probably wondering, “Why is she telling this story on a toothbrush website?” Well, that’s because at WooBamboo, the belief is that inspiration can change the world. This company was founded to inspire everyone to make changes that will help clean up our beautiful oceans and earth. Just know; inspiration goes both ways!
Thank you all for your inspirational feedback, keep it coming! And we would love to hear what inspires you…
