Amy Lu's View

“You inspire me!” a guy called out as he ran past me on the track at the gym on a recent Sunday afternoon.

This was highly unexpected. 

I did not feel inspired, much less inspiring, as I was slogging through my tedious run. While I am very grateful to be able to run on an indoor track, especially after years of Covid curtailing my gym visits, I do not enjoy it. But it’s the best of unappealing alternatives in the winter. Running outside when there is a hint of ice feels unsafe for me, and I find treadmills even more tedious, and potentially dangerous–I don’t feel coordinated enough for them. 

Why did I inspire this guy? I’m not sure, but I don’t think it was with my running prowess. This guy was definitely way more fit and muscular than me, and when he was running, he was much faster. But he was sprinting in short spurts, while I was continuously, if slowly, running. So I think I was inspiring him with my perseverance. I know his comment encouraged me to keep going, and I ended up running for an hour. 

I’m writing about this little moment because it was surprising and affirming. It made me think about how we never know how others might see us, or what impact we might have on them, even in small ways. My fellow runner definitely had an impact on me because he helped me reframe my run–I wasn’t “failing” because I was slow, but succeeding for running at all and sticking with it. More importantly, he’s inspired me to look for inspiration from others as I go about my daily life. 

(I didn’t embrace this moment immediately–I went on a quick inner emotional journey that started with confusion and annoyance. “What did this guy just say to me? Don’t talk to me when I’m running!” And yes, I did briefly wonder if he might have been hitting on me, but decided that it didn’t really matter because his comment was still sincere). 

I might be primed to think about inspiration right now because we recently listened to an episode of the podcast “On Being” featuring Dachtner Keltner speaking about awe. One of my takeaways from what he said is that people can experience awe by witnessing or learning about the inspiring actions of others. While my little run today certainly wasn’t heroic, I think it’s really cool that someone else could see something worthy in it, if only for a moment. 

If I think of “awe” and “inspiration” only as grand experiences (which they certainly can be), I’m not likely to encounter them on most days. But if I can open myself up to seeing them in more mundane things, especially in the daily efforts and endeavors of others, without being snarky or defensive or judgemental…well, couldn’t that open up all kinds of possibilities to see good, and feel good, and maybe do a little more good myself?

It may have become a cliche during the pandemic to talk about “small wins,” but I think that’s a worthwhile concept to hang on to, long after we’ve (hopefully) dialed back on the hand sanitizer. Let’s hang on to noticing, and celebrating, the small wins of ourselves and others. 

This is all reminding me of the “Real American Heroes” Bud Light ad campaigns of the late 90’s. Wikipedia says the ads used “mock glorification” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Men_of_Genius) to praise accomplishments that were actually pretty silly. I’m not a fan of Bud Light, but I definitely enjoyed those commercials and thought they were pretty clever (although I’m sure a deep dive into them could uncover some content I’d now consider problematic). I’m sure I could also spend hours debating the actual merit of some of the “heroes”: Mr. Inspirational Poster Writer definitely sounds worthy of admiration to me! 

What I remember most about the ads (and I’m not claiming this is accurate) is that the “heroes” were sincerely doing their best and were passionate about what they were doing. Yes, there are times when quality definitely matters and excellence should be recognized, but there is something to be said in giving an “A for Effort.” I’m learning to appreciate that people’s interest in something is interesting (and even inspiring), even if I’m not interested in the subject of their attention. 

So I’m on the lookout for inspiration. I’m ready to be inspired by others’ enthusiasm, and kindness, and dedication, and curiosity, and creativity, and bravery, and quirkiness. I’m going to rely on the inspiration of strangers, coworkers, acquaintances, costars, family and friends. Of the inspiration of you, yes YOU!

In the immortal words of the band Chicago: “You bring feeling to my life, you’re the inspiration.” 

Don’t let a cheesy 80’s band down!