Top Unexpected Sources for Success and Inspiration

Achieving professional success comes from sustained effort, motivation, and consistency. If you’re a working professional or a freelancer who’s on the journey of creating a successful career, then you might be struggling to find some inspiration. 

It is not uncommon to look for inspiration from people who we view as successful, whether that means being an entrepreneur, making a lot of money, or simply inspiring others to create a better life for themselves.

However, it’s great to know that we can find sources of success and inspiration from the most unexpected sources. When you feel like things have become more challenging for you, just read and revisit this list to recharge yourself with positive vibes and become more successful.

10 Unexpected Yet Effective Sources for Your Inspiration and Success

Building a career through extensive learning and amazing experiences is truly worth fighting for. It’s satisfying to reminisce about how you’ve made that accomplishment. Overcoming obstacles and knowing you’ve done the right thing makes the journey of your success a triumph to be cherished. 

Below are ten unexpected sources of your inspiration for you to create a life and career of happiness and success. 

#1 Your Strict Boss

Is your boss too strict and demanding when it comes to working with quality measures and deadlines? Sometimes, you might want to quit because you’re seeing it as something negative. After all, you’re doing your job, so why isn’t your boss appreciative instead of criticizing you all the time? 

For some, a boss like that contributes to lower self-esteem and confidence. However, if you think about it objectively, you will understand that a strict boss can be an excellent contributor to improved work performance. It’s all about perspective; it deals with how you view things and handle the situation. 

Think about it: every member of the organization wants the best for the company. Your boss and the other superiors in the company aim for the achievement of the goals. Being strict on deadlines and sticking to internal rules are both parts of the workplace’s critical process.

Do not take a strict boss as a negative factor in the working environment. Instead, use it as a motivation. Motivate yourself to exceed your boss’s expectations, and aim to become a better employee. Challenge yourself to come up and share brilliant ideas with the company. Unleash, as well, your creative input, and let your superiors know how their company can become the next big thing for your clients.

When your boss is tight and very conscientious about deadlines, do not interpret that as a management issue. Instead, take it as a way to learn how to manage your time wisely. You will become more persevering, attentive, and motivated to show how you can help in establishing company goals. 

#2 A Piece of Your Childhood Memories

Remember the time when you were still a child and believed that anything was possible? Being nostalgic about a special time in our life can help us remember to be full of zest again and find happiness. 

You may still have your favourite toy or a piece of drawing when you were still a kid. Those items may still have memories of when you were young and high-spirited. They can help you bring back that feeling and be inspired to have that same energy level when you’re still a kid. 

#3 Your Rejected Proposal

You worked hard, brainstorming and preparing a proposal that you thought was already top-notch. However, when you presented to the client or your superiors, a big ‘No’ was received. Undoubtedly, this can be one of the most stressful moments to find answers on why giving the most effort to something was flat out rejected. 

Any rejection is understandably frustrating. But it can also be another way to create something better. When you get rejected, you should evaluate why the proposal was not accepted, formulate a solution, and then move on. 

#4 An Angry Customer

According to Bill Gates, your most unhappy customers are your greatest sources of learning. When it comes to handling customer service support, desks, patience and a pleasant personality are needed. 

Some angry customers who make complaints about the company’s products or services can sometimes be avoided. However, they can be appropriately handled. 

It’s also an opportunity to learn more and make some improvements to make customers happy. Evaluate the concerns and find the reasons that caused the issue. This is important to avoid it in the future. Remember that satisfied customers are signs that the company is doing the right strategies. Eventually, they will lead to great success. 

#5 A Teammate Who’s Difficult to Work With

A happy workplace promotes productivity and ease in completing tasks. But how would it be when there are members of the team who are challenging to get along with? You may be a team player, but some of them are not approachable and didn’t want to contribute? 

Some of them also want to own recognition even if not providing valuable insights to the company. But this should also be a time to improve communications in the workplace. Create a good relationship with them. 

This can be challenging at first. But when they start understanding the value of being a team player, and how much can be achieved from it, they will become more responsive and helpful. 

#6 A Corrupted File From Your Computer

Another common and irritating workplace situation is when an important file did not open or has been corrupted. This can lead to delays and repeating workloads. If it’s a report or important content that has been corrupted, then you have to write it over again. 

But how can such a situation be flipped into something successful? You will learn from it. One lesson is always to have a backup of your files. Have a regular checkup of your computer system to make sure that they are working properly. It can be a source of inspiration because you will learn how to handle important files and protect them for future purposes. 

#7 An Old Book

Try to research the top successful people we have today; one common interest is that they love reading great books. They acquire great information that they utilize in building the success they have today. 

You can also find a zest of motivation and inspiration from books. For instance, an old book written by a great author can be a part of your journey. Have you ever taken a glimpse of the book, “Think and Grow Rich?” This is known as one of the greatest books of all time. It can change your mindset towards success and improving the quality of life you have. 

#8 Negative Feedback from a Recent Performance Appraisal

When you receive negative feedback at work, do not let it define your future situation. You may not excel today, but that doesn’t mean that you will no longer create something outstanding. 

Use negative feedback to motivate yourself to perform better at work. Check the areas for your weaknesses, and find ways on how to turn them into strengths. Utilize the available tools and resources, and aim to have more positive feedback in the next performance review. 

#9 A Miscommunication Issue

Active listening is a vital factor that should be present in the workplace. Miscommunication can be a severe issue that can result in more significant problems. There can be a misunderstanding among the workplace members, or misuse of time, money, and energy. So, how to use a miscommunication issue to improve for success? Both employers and their subordinates must learn how to promote open and effective communication as they work. With this, they can come up with better ideas, great brainstorming, and better decision-making skills. 

#10 A Missed Deadline

A missed deadline can be an eye-opener that you may have misused your time. It can also be a reminder of how precious time is when it comes to your job. Every working minute counts, and that you should work with utmost efficiency while using your time wisely. This will help you avoid procrastination. Besides, you will be more inspired to see how satisfying it is to accomplish things on time. 

Every one of us can find inspiration in anything around us. We can be more motivated even with the things we least expected. All we have to do is to become more open to finding those things, be more inquisitive, and always think positive.

Conclusion

Whether we accept it or not, we live in a fast-paced world where everything needs to be done and fixed quickly. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and it is certainly not a healthy way to live all the time. However, the power to adapt to stressful and demanding situations is crucial. 

And if you feel like you have trouble adapting, you should step away from the race to catch your breath. However, if you do decide to give it everything you’ve got, make sure that you don’t sacrifice your physical and mental state. You will be criticized, you will be put down, and you may suffer in relationships, but guess what? Each setback is a way to make you rethink your life strategies, whether we are talking professionally or personally. 

So, in the end,  you are right where you need to be. If your life right now feels like a sepia movie, use every crayon on your box to make it more colourful. You might even appreciate a bit of sepia. It’s actually a beautiful colour. 

The point is, you will find inspiration in happiness, but most of all, you will find it in setbacks and failures; that’s where we get to understand ourselves better and strive for a better quality of life.