Maybe you are quietly inspiring someone
Most of the people who change our lives never find out they did. And most of the people you’re quietly inspiring will never tell you either.
When I was 16 and a freshman at Oregon State University, I had to take a mandatory health class. It was in a huge auditorium with 300+ students, and I always sat at the very back. I doubt the professor ever noticed me. I never raised my hand or stayed after class. I never visited her during office hours or spoke to her. I would just quietly complete my assignments and submit them.
But that professor changed my life.
She used to talk about her experience working as a physiotherapist with older adults . These were people who would’ve lived longer, healthier lives if they had built the right habits when they were young. She would show real examples from her work and research, and actual conversations with people suffering from diseases that were simply preventable through exercise. And over time, something in those stories changed me.
I joined the gym because of her.
I found the courage to push myself through difficult physical challenges like Muay Thai and weightlifting because of her.
I started reading ingredient labels when buying anything from the store because of that one nutrition class. Eventually, I was able to manage my lung and cardiac issues, conditions that had me running from one doctor to another as a child, to the point that I don’t need medication anymore or even remember what asthma feels like.
I never went up and thanked her. She has no idea that I mentioned this exact story to my dad at dinner when he asked why I loved lifting so much, or that she helped me become a better version of myself.
Our habits don’t live in silos; they touch every part of our lives. The discipline and confidence that came from working out spilled into other areas of my life. As I put myself through intense training sessions day in and day out, I rewired my brain to love the pressure and not fear doing difficult things, like taking calculated risks in business. I said yes to many client projects even before I had the skills to pull them off because I had some sort of delusional confidence in myself that I could figure it out as I went.
Someone out there is probably talking about you the same way
You might be quietly inspiring someone you’ve never met. Maybe they see your work online, or maybe they quietly admire you from the corner of a room at work, in school, or at the gym when you consistently show up.
You might be the reason they started creating, or learning, or taking themselves seriously for the first time. Or the person they think about when they make a decision that shifts their life a few degrees in a better direction.
When you post something online, they probably won’t interact with it. But they’re watching and maybe getting inspired by it.
A few days ago, two friends messaged me about projects I recently shared on LinkedIn. I had no idea they were seeing my posts because they never liked or commented on any of them. But turns out they were watching.
You are inspired, now what?
Don’t just sit there with the inspiration, act on it. Passively consuming inspiring content won’t help you if you don’t actually go out there and do something with that information. You can only gain momentum by actively working on the inspiring content you came across, even if the start is rough, shaky, and full of confusion.
Maybe someone inspired by you will talk about you to their family, friends, or colleagues, and in rooms, cities, and languages you will never know about. So don’t underestimate the power of consistently showing up and doing the things that make you better. You never know who’s being changed by your example.