Who are you inspiring?

Today, at her homegoing service, I paid tribute to a family friend and sorority sister, Lula Goolsby-Daye. Reflecting on her life, three characteristics emerged-excellence, impressive, and inspirational. The latter is the focus of this blog- inspirational. When you inspire, you cause another individual to take an action that they might otherwise not have taken.

Ms. Daye, over her lifespan inspired many individuals, some she knew and others she didn't. These individuals included students in her classes- high school and college; peers in her professional career, speech-language pathology; clients and their family members enrolled in her speech therapy sessions; community leaders; colleagues that taught with her at the college and university level.  Ms. Daye also inspired children and adults, who indirectly connected with her. I was among this group. When I was a child, Ms. Daye spoke at many church programs and community events. My mother would take me to hear her friend. Ms. Daye was articulate and everytime I heard her speak she was able to mesmerize her audience. Everyone in the audience appeared to be captivated by how she communicated her message. In fact, everyone seemed to hang onto every word she uttered. After one of her speeches, I told my mother that when I grew up I wanted to speak like Ms. Daye.

Because of her inspiration, I have a doctoral degree in speech-language pathology and have given over 300 presentations nationally. Today, was special for me because it was my time to speak publicly about Ms. Daye. I wanted to deliver my tribute in a way that she would be proud. Afterwards, when people came up to say the tribute was beautiful, it made me smile inside because they were speaking to Ms. Daye.

Who are you inspiring? Let Ms. Daye be a reminder to you of the importance of being an inspiration to others.  Let your light shine so that others will see your good works and want to do the same. Be an inspiration and continue the legacy!