Two simple words.

Two words are the secret…

To being a good spouse. To writing a profound story. To selling a brand. To leading so people actually follow. To preaching so people actually hear.

Success as a twentysomething, thirtysomething can feel so elusive. Does it have to be?

Can success be spurned by two simple words? I think so.

Understanding and Inspiration

People crave to be understood and inspired. Excel at these two words and you will be successful.

To be Understood.

It’s not easy to understand someone. It takes intentionality. But when someone feels like they are understood, their reality shifts. Because you’re letting them know that their not alone. That they matter. That their pain, questions, joy, has a place.

Understanding speaks truth into someone else’s experience.

Understanding holds out validation like a drink of water.

Understanding lets you in the front door to have a meal together.

Your wife wants to be understood before she wants answers. Your client wants to be understood before they want a sales pitch. The audience wants to be understood before they want your motivational talk.

You can’t speak truth into someone’s experience without first understanding what their experience is.

To be Inspired.

Inspiration transforms understanding into action. It spurs people to stand up. To dream. To risk.

Inspiration transforms understanding into hope. Inspiration speaks beyond what’s real into what’s possible.

Inspiration and Understanding in Tandem.

These two words don’t have the same effect apart. Like separating the powder from the gun. Each word loses its power without the other.

Inspiration without first understanding rings cliche and contrived. It screams motivational talk — something that  gets you out the front door and not much further.

Understanding without inspiration plays “ring-around-the-problem “– seeing it, owning it, petting it, without ever taking it for a walk.

If we embody these two simple words together. If we breathe them. Promote them. Live them. We change. And in turn, so do those around us. Two simple words — understanding and inspiration, two words in tandem that change everything.

How can you infuse these two words into your work and relationships today?

Have you known someone who excelled at these two words? How’d they do it?