When someone thinks about inspirational people, they think of ordinary people that have done extraordinary things. It is an important factor to them if that person possesses selflessness, creativity, or they just dare to be different. They are ordinary people that believe they can change the world into a better place and, no matter what, are not afraid to try their best. But, what makes you see someone as inspirational?

Do inspirational people endure immense amounts of trauma and make it to the other side?

Most people have dealt with emotional or physical trauma of some sort. Psychological trauma can leave a lasting effect on someone, no matter if it is painful emotions, memories, or anxiety that doesn’t seem to go away. That person may feel reluctant to trust others, numb, and detached. It may seem like forever for them to get over the pain and feel safe again after something bad happens.

Not everyone that experiences trauma has scars from it. The human mind has an amazing ability for growth and recovery. Working through the painful emotions that come from traumatic experiences can be quite a process. People cannot hold those emotions in or forget them. If they are not handled properly, those traumatic events can keep replaying over and over, which turns into post-traumatic stress disorder.

Or do inspirational people never seem to run out of hope?

Hope is such a straightforward word that can mean so much to someone dealing with difficulty. It can be the difference between keeping going or giving up. It can be some optimism when faced with a bad diagnosis. There isn’t a perfect definition for this word and it can mean so many things. It can honestly mean anything you want it to.

But, why is hope important? Well, for starters, life is difficult and full of obstacles. Making goals is not enough if you don’t keep getting closer to those goals and that is in spite of all those obstacles that get in your way. Hope allows people to approach problems with mindfulness to where they can plan the best way to succeed despite those problems. So, hope makes the chances better that people will meet the goals that they have made.

How about that person that has endured seemingly endless grief and keeps on going? Is that inspirational to you?

Grief is a natural response when someone loses a loved one and it can present itself in many ways. Grief has different phases including denial and disbelief, to guilt and anger, to looking for some form of comfort and accepting the loss.

Survivors and the person dying can experience grief. Sometimes, the survivors may take several years to work their way through the grieving process. But, the grieving process is all about the challenging acceptance of death being the final stage of life.

The grieving process isn’t always centered around the death of someone. It can involve someone moving from their home, or college graduation, or a career change. Whatever the loss is, it is your personal loss. So, don’t worry about if you are feeling the “appropriate” way for that situation, or if you should be grieving this situation in the first place. It doesn’t matter if it involves a person, pet, relationship, or situation, it is normal to experience grief from the loss. Either way, there are healthy ways to handle this grief so you can get closer to acceptance of the loss and keep living your life.

Is an individual that has unending resiliency inspirational?

When confronted with hardship in life, how does someone make it through or adapt? Why do some people seem to make it through those hardships easier than others? Why do some people get “stuck” at that point, without the capability to move on?

Resilience helps you to harness the inner strength that works you through any setbacks or challenges that you may encounter. Without resilience, you may get overwhelmed easier, see yourself as the victim, dwell on issues, or turn to harmful coping mechanisms like substance abuse.

Resilience does not mean that all of life’s difficulties will disappear. Resilient people are not under the impression that their life will be perfect all the time. They know that they will come across issues and that sometimes life will be difficult. They still feel the psychological pain and despair that comes from loss. But, it is their resiliency that keeps them going.

Or do inspirational people have the overcome mindset no matter what?

Everyone is going to come across obstacles in their life. The obstacles are there to encourage them to consider their path in life. If they encounter those obstacles at every turn, that might be life telling them that they are going in the wrong direction. It is easier said than done for someone to deal with obstacles and they come and then move on. But, the only way that someone is going to work through these obstacles is motivation, perseverance, determination, and believing in themselves.

If you ever think that you are the only one with obstacles, take a look around you. You are not the only one with obstacles and you are not the only one dealing with or that have dealt with a very similar obstacle. They too may have felt that they couldn’t get through that situation. The important thing is that they kept going and working through it, and that is a massive accomplishment in and of itself. Our bodies have the amazing ability to get through a lot of physical and mental punishment. But, it is up to every individual person if they are going to make the most of this ability or not, and don’t think for one second that it is going to be easy.

There may be times in your life that you doubt yourself and don’t think that you can take that next step to push through that obstacle. You may feel battered, bruised, exhausted, and like you can’t take anymore. This is where you either shove forward and make it through the issue or you let the issue win. The feeling of success over a challenge is incomparable, but, only you can decide if you are going to overcome the issue or not.

No matter what you feel like you have achieved, it is totally possible for you to be an inspiration to someone else. You have the ability to inspire even if you feel like you are at an all-time low and you don’t see the end of your current challenge. There are so many benefits to being an inspiration to others. You never know how your story and your giving may affect someone else. And, you also never know who will be able to reciprocate that giving later on when you are in your time of need. Giving and being an inspiration to others will leave a much longer impact on others even after you are gone. Inspiring others can be a great feeling, too. The only other feeling that can compare to that is the feeling that you get when you have finally reached your dream.