What inspires you? The answer is different for each but there are seven key drivers that work within the human spirit to inspire. These seven keys to inspiration are spiritual laws that are common to us all. They are laws of nature that are as inflexible as the laws of gravity or centrifugal force in the physical world. We are drawn to or repelled from objects of our desire by the seven secret principles embedded in our humanity.
Our physical senses help us order and prioritize physical things. We sense balance, rhythm, order and harmony and develop “taste preferences.” Smart marketers use the human physical senses as guides to develop captivating in-store environments, visual stories, enhancing lighting, sharp merchandise presentations and scents that bypass our thought defenses to touch our feelings. The seven keys to inspiration work similarly but summon a much greater power within us, the power of our spiritual senses and sensibilities; the power of inspiration.
The seven keys to inspiration are; Question, Love, Hope, Integrity, Power, Purpose and Story. After examining thousands of people, places and things including historic leaders, mentors, retail stores, ancient landmarks, books, works of art and national treasures, I’ve measured their effect on the spiritual senses, observed their intrinsic qualities and found the seven common denominators that encompass all that inspires us. If we are to inspire others, we must develop these seven keys.
Question: Shows our path. In retail, we learn about our customers through consumer insights and analytics. In our families, we manage our children differently based on their temperament. In order for us to apply the keys to inspiration, we must first determine what’s on our subject’s mind. As Stephen Covey said; “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” As Fred Newell loved to ask me; “What’s on your mind?” Other great questions include; “What are you just not sure about?” “What are you curious about?” “What are you afraid of?” If we want to be inspirational, we must start with insights that lead us straight to the unexpressed needs of our audience. Questions guide us.
Love: Conquers all. Overcoming inertia in new relationships requires unconditional love. If we are to show others how to be relevant in their families, at work or among their social groups, we must relate to them with a disinterested love, a love that is not dependant on our gain, a love without strings, political or familial. Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Abraham Lincoln changed the world with this kind of love. Barak Obama tapped into this power, invading the last sacred places of our heart and flooding it with a love that can only be attained when we look beyond your own self-interest. Love wins impossible battles.
Hope: Changes us. One of the greatest gifts we give others is to show them how to dream, then point them in the right direction to achieve their dreams. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell executed this ideal by mentoring bright young men and women. In retail advertising, we show consumers how to dream with imagery that reflects their lifestyle and shows them how their dreams can be fulfilled when using our products. In our personal relationships, we give others hope by helping them become what they were meant to become. Our most successful family relationships result when we help our children discover their fullest potential and give them the direction to achieve it. Hope gets them there. The Beatles music has a special resonance of hope. The lyrics and melodies work together to inspire us beyond even our own ability to comprehend. “Imagine” and “Let It Be” release faith in human potential from our prisons of fear and doubt. The music upholds us as we pursue our ideals with hopeful expectation. Hope transforms.
Integrity: Makes sense. Most people can spot a fake by using their heart’s spiritual principle of integrity. Integrity is instinctual and this law must be obeyed in all of our interactions with others if we hope to inspire them. Consumers are turned away when they find inconsistencies between words and actions, between principles and outcomes, between what’s advertised and what’s experienced. Families and churches are torn apart by hypocrisy. Oppressive governments are overrun by much smaller revolutionary armies when those armies are strengthened by their integrity. Integrity is powerful! It will not be denied! It is as important to the spiritual health of humans as water is to our physical bodies! Integrity confirms the big picture.
Power: Gives life. Power comes from within our pure hearts and engages the noble principles of our character; humility, truth, generosity, faithfulness and courage. In contrast, force, is not an original part of our humanity and summons the less noble human tendencies; malice, jealousy, selfishness and prejudice. When we show people how to live in the strength of a well developed human consciousness, we show them their own power. We show them how to live sustainable and productive lives. Where do you get your energy? Are you weak or are you strong? Power makes us strong!
Purpose: Gives meaning. Deep within the human spirit is the need to belong, the need for purpose. We show others their purpose by revealing their context in community. How can they help? How can they be relevant? How can their abilities be put to work within their families, businesses and social groups? Randy Curtis told me; “sometimes it is hard to read the label when you are so far inside your own bottle.” As leaders, managers, mentors, friends and even marketers, revealing to someone their purpose has great potential to change their life. Purpose leads to significance.
Story: Synthesizes and engages. Consumers learn by hearing, observation, action and reading. It’s up to us as marketers, teachers, parents and mentors to craft stories to deliver the facts in memorable ways and excite the spiritual senses. A great story will be replayed over and over in the mind of the hearer as they learn and grow in their life experience, the facts in their life keep changing but the answers are always the same! Just as “Question” is required at the beginning of the seven keys of inspiration to direct our path, “Story” is required at the end to package our inspiration to ensure a lasting effect. Story touches the unconscious mind.
Applying just one of the seven keys of inspiration will yield amazing results but when two or more of the seven keys are used together, their effectiveness is exponential. The seven keys of inspiration possess the ability to nurture, motivate and cultivate the human spirit to rise up in noble ways and with noble sentiments. Inspiration is the most powerful and enduring of all influence strategies. In today’s tough economic times we are watching the devaluation of transitory things and the failure of traditional promotional strategies. Why? Because they lack the ability to inspire! We are living in a time of great failure but also of a great awakening. As Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. have shown us through their example, when we invest in human potential using The Seven Keys to Inspiration, we invest in the powerful and the eternal. Inspiration is the best strategy for our future.
