What is the highest honor for a graduating college athlete? To be named a first- round pick!
Student athletes, while reviled (or revered), offer fans and family an exciting variety of flights of fancy.
“What if our daughter is a First-Rounder?”
“What will we do to keep our son grounded if he is named the #1 pick in the draft?”
If your family has not faced this, don’t feel bad – this is rare air. It is a unique, honored, and storied tradition that is reserved for … the few, the proud, (no wait - that’s the Marines!)
It is a rare and humbling experience to be chosen first, in any endeavor, toward any end.
Who will you encounter, recruit, teach, develop, or serve today who would be buoyed by being referred to as a First-Rounder?
Pick up the phone and make the call, or send the text.
This may read much easier than it is in real life.
In order to inspire someone else, we need to know more than something (singular) about them.
What do they want?
Where are they headed?
What have they tried (and failed) to accomplish or do?
Depth requires several ingredients:
An invitation
An openness (on both parties’ sides of the relationship)
Trust
Over time, we can gain these. Our focus when we choose to inspire someone else is external, meaning that we do not pursue this for our own gain. Rick Warren in his book “The Purpose Driven Life” opens with: “It’s not about YOU.”
How do we balance that posture of service and humility with lifting someone up by tagging them as a First round Pick?
Through language. That language that is internal is as important as the language that we deliver externally.
Watching a film called “The Kings’ Speech” recently, I was surprised (and inspired) to hear a speech therapist point out that when we talk to OURSELVES, we do not hesitate, stammer, stutter or ramble aimlessly.
Reaching out of ourselves to reach into someone else’s head, heart and life puts us in the position to serve.
And that is powerful position to occupy.
On the back of my business card is a list of Ten Aspirations I hold up as daily pursuits.
One of them is: “Inspire someone.”
Go do that right now.
In case you do not have a copy of my card, there are a few ways to acquire the list. 1) Email me your address, and I will pop one in the snail mail to you
2) Visit THIS LINK and enter your info
3) Grab a download of “Deeper Dialogue; Conversations That Inspire” , because there is a whole chapter dedicated to the Daily List
Being a first-round pick brings lots of distractions and pressures.
Being named one… is something that stays with people… and that is the first step on the long, exciting road of connecting with people on deeper, more meaningful terms.
Name your first – rounder… and share that with them… Today!