A few weeks ago, my brother shared a link to this video on his social media page.  He shared it because he’s a drummer and was impressed by the little girl’s talent and that a famous rock star responded with this video to encourage her. When I look at these videos through the lens of learning and professional growth, I see many valuable lessons to learn from this epic drum challenge between Nandi and Dave.

• Follow Your Passion: Both Nandi and Dave found something they were passionate about and spent countless hours learning how to excel at it.  I’m sure the learning journey included some challenges and frustration along the way but look at how much fun they are having now!
• Learn from Others: Once you find your passion, you don’t have to pursue it alone. In addition to teachers, Nandi also found Dave as an inspirational mentor. She didn’t know him personally but still learned from him.
• Be Your Authentic Self: Obviously, Nandi is inspired by Dave and wants to emulate his talent, but she’s doing it in her own way. She’s using the strengths of her style and personality rather than copying his.  And she’s getting quite a following because of it!
• Be an Inspiration to Others: Every single one of us has talent.  If you don’t find your passion, put in the hard work to pursue it as your authentic self, and continue to develop it by learning from others, you are depriving the world of that talent.  Inspire others by sharing that talent.  You don’t have to become a rock star or YouTube star to do that.  You could mentor someone, volunteer, write a blog, or use countless other methods to be an inspiration to others. Dave inspired Nandi.  And when I saw Nandi’s video, she inspired me.

My challenge to you this week is to be an inspiration to others.  If you take me up on this challenge, send me a note and let me know what you did.  I would love to be inspired by you too!

Wishing you the best!

Amy