How Inspiring Others Leads to Inspiring Yourself

  • Denver, Colorado, United States

Author:  Sean Swarner

Short Description

“Have a great day!” We say this statement to friends and loved ones so often in Inspiring Others that it may become perfunctory. Just because it may seem cliché, does not mean it is not a sincere remark. I truly want the people in my life to have an awesome day all the time and […]

“Have a great day!” We say this statement to friends and loved ones so often in Inspiring Others that it may become perfunctory. Just because it may seem cliché, does not mean it is not a sincere remark. I truly want the people in my life to have an awesome day all the time and I hope they share the same well wishes towards me.

Speaking of which, what is the first thing you do when you have great news? You tend to share it with others, right? Let’s say you just got a promotion at work; you can’t wait to call your partner or your parents or your priest or maybe all of the above. Happiness is worth shouting from the mountaintops for all to hear!

This proves a central philosophy of mine: joy is a shared emotion. When you are elated, it’s only human to spread the love to those around you until it ripples throughout your community. The very same fortune that smiled upon you deserves to elevate others with the news you received. In other words, you are inspiring, so please don’t hold back on giving others a sense of joy.

MISERY LOVES… CONQUERING MISERY

I don’t subscribe to the old saying that misery loves company. When I was struggling throughout the darkest days of cancer treatment, I would not have wished my pain and suffering on my worst enemy. Gasping for breath, unable to walk – it was a bitter nightmare, and I raged against it every day, screaming just to wake up.

The only way I could get through the trauma was to draw strength from other patients’ successes. When I would see a fellow cancer warrior get out of her wheelchair, it recharged my own legs, encouraging them to stand strong. When I heard about a friend’s lab tests showing significant improvement, it gave me hope for a similar outcome. When someone would finally get released from the cancer ward, I would make a silent promise to join him on the outside, like we were prison inmates planning a great escape.

The triumphs of other survivors fueled my resolve to not merely beat cancer, but to stomp it into submission. I [bleeping] hated it, but it taught me about the concept of shared inspiration. Even though I was too young to realize it at the time, cancer would drive me to return the epic favor that those other patients gave me… and I strive to do so with every initiative I take.

How Inspiring Others Leads to Inspiring Yourself

I’ll make a confession: when I started climbing mountains, I did it for myself. My body was craving the open air after being cooped up in a hospital bed during my adolescent years. I needed to rebel at the maximum altitude and challenge myself to make up for all the lost time.

But as I honed my climbing skills, I soon realized that they were reciprocal. You’re only as capable as your climbing partner and I felt a rush every time I helped another voyager up the steep rock face of a particularly grueling slope. The feeling of accomplishment was twice as gratifying because… well, there were two of us! We were seeing the most majestic sights on earth and we could turn to one another and verify that it wasn’t all just a fantastic dream.

The thrill of shared achievement was so enthralling that I started to seek it out more and more. The camaraderie I shared with other climbers was palpable, like a shimmering electrical charge passing invisibly from person to person, charging us up the mountain.

I was in heaven as I explored the heavens… but it really made me think. There was a child lying in a hospital somewhere wondering if he would ever be able to swim in the ocean or fall in love or even see another sunrise. I knew that kid because I WAS that kid. It prompted me to translate my passion for climbing into an outreach program for other cancer warriors. My vision would become the Cancer Climber Association (CCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to funding “impossible” dreams.

At CCA, we create adventure support grants, mobile camping trips, and visits to cancer centers around the world. If those patients want to climb a mountain, whether it’s in their hearts or in the great outdoors, I want to help them reach the summit.

It’s time for another confession: I thrive on the inspiration I get from CCA. The smiles on those kids’ faces propel me to new heights. Even though I serve as a motivational speaker at various CCA events, I’m actually the one who gets motivated.

SHARE SOME FACE TIME
Like most things these days, inspiration is moving online. Even when we can not gather in person, we can assemble on Facebook to share stories, affirmations, and even a simple “Hello!”

Whether you wish to join a breast cancer support group, a prostate cancer support group, a rock star advocacy group like Stand Up to Cancer, a yoga and meditation page, or a group for families and friends of cancer patients, it’s all a click away on Facebook.

You can never have too much inspiration in your life. I find myself going down the rabbit hole of social media connectivity every time I log onto my Facebook group, Inspiring Others: Reaching Your Personal Summit. We share pictures, anecdotes, and genuine compassion with every post we submit. I would love it if you joined us and I can not wait to hear about your personal triumphs and everyday inspiration.

As always, I do my best to “pay it forward” by sharing tidbits from my life as it unfolds. My Facebook group is like a window to Sean World, a window that changes perspectives every time I go on a trip or get a crazy idea in my head. It’s an honor to bring you along as I journey to new vistas of inspiration. Let’s start a conversation and hear how it echoes through cyberspace, returning back to you a thousand times stronger. That’s the power of shared inspiration.

Contact us at Speakers Inc and view WeSpeak Global

Author Profile

Read further articles in similar categories

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to How Inspiring Others Leads to Inspiring Yourself

Amanda Gore

TAKING THE STRESS OUT OF EVERY DAY with Highly Resilient People! Every morning they wake up and say today I choose joy – consciously – and then; They observe their thinking all day and stop thoughts that create stress. They work at being present in every moment and not worry about or dwell on what […]

  • Author: Amanda Gore
WS Logo 512

I’ve been studying growth lately — human Growth Through Discomfort — and the most common models out there seem to be a bit misleading. Or, at the very least, incomplete. You’ve probably seen something that looks like this: It plays up the purely positive aspects of growth without at least an acknowledgment of the discomfort […]

  • Author: Sterling Hawkins
Bjorn Heyerdahl

I think we often need a reminder of our home and our Earth Day. We have a 24-hour day based on the rotation of our planet relative to the sun. But it is much more personal than that. The day is also based on our daily perspectives and ways of viewing the day. The world […]

  • Author: Bjørn Heyerdahl
Joshua M Evans

In organizational culture, there are two types of people: those who look for reasons to be offended, and those who look for ways to understand others. The former type tends to lash out at coworkers, saying cruel things in private or criticizing them in public. They seek revenge on their managers if they feel they […]

  • Author: Joshua M Evans
Peter Zeihan

Are we on the brink of the Un-Recession? The latest jobs report–published August 5–showed that the United States added over half a million new jobs in the month of July.   Unemployment is at or a near a 50-year low. Both points add credence to a growing number of economists who are pushing back against […]

  • Author: Peter Zeihan
Lessons in building business

A framework from my book Humancentric for how to create Relationship and Intelligence in businesses in the fourth industrial revolution. How do we focus more on people than technology? When we do our research behind all of the aspects of business, we need to focus on the context we are in, the relationships around that […]

  • Author: Mike Saunders
WS Logo 512

Lift as You Rise is Bonang Mohale’s book, published during his tenure as CEO of Business Leadership South Africa. He is a highly respected South African businessman, who is known as much for his patriotism and his active role in seeking to advance his country’s interests as for the leading role he has played in […]

  • Author: Bonang Mohale
Alison Canavan

Life has a such a unique way of giving us what we need (soul food) rather than what we want. Stop another dark night of the soul.   I have just come out of what can only be described as another dark soul of the night. Unable to see further than my fear and feeling […]

  • Author: Alison Canavan

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME