Sheri Fella: The necessity of finding inspiration for growth

The buzz of the helicopter blades created a meditative hum as we gazed eye to eye with The Three Sisters mountains in Alberta, Canada. The Three Sisters is a series of peaks in Canmore just south of Banff and its majesty is inspiring at just shy of 10,000 feet.

After a full-throttle start to my year, I needed my cup of inspiration topped off, and, as we hovered in the mountaintop, I felt full to the brim with it. Grateful for all of my growth, the growth of my business and for the connection time off the grid to inspire even more of that.

Throughout my aunt life, I have taken groups of my nieces and nephews on what we call “aunt” trips, but they should really be called “soul” trips because it is in these spaces that I find myself getting closer and closer to my truest self. Being in nature and being in the presence of young minds and kind hearts who are so values-rooted inspires me like no other experience.

The Three Sisters mountain has three peaks, and each has a meaning—faith, charity, hope. Having faith, charity and hope above you for a week is inspiring enough, but to be surrounded by them in the form of the human beings I am traveling with is transformative. My three companions are only a few years apart in age, and yet their current life chapters are immensely different. From their professions of firefighter, electrician, and special ed teacher to their current life context and interests in relationships, hobbies, skills and perspectives. The three of them are the real teachers on the trip, and I found myself not only being taught by this magical place I had never experienced, but more so by the magical space created by their combination of spirit.

The mountains around us held glaciers that were thousands of years old. I marvel at that. Thousands of years of witnessing human beings like us come to gaze upon them as we try to find our way to new ground. I wondered how many times they have watched groups like us choose fear over growth and leave unchanged, uninspired, and how many times they’ve watched the opposite happen—transformation after transformation. It reminds me how honored I am to be able to witness the transformation of so many leaders in the vocation I have committed myself to, and how often the transformation of another inspires me.

Just like us as we hover eye to eye with The Three Sisters, leaders need new buckets of inspiration to stimulate their own inward journeys for growth and transformation. Without that, we remain glacier-like—slow moving, a witness to others changing but unable to truly experience our own movement. And leaders who aren’t growing are stunting the growth of everyone around them.

If you aren’t growing as a human being, you are shrinking—receding like the glacier. There is no maintaining status quo because the change is happening around you. And if you aren’t choosing to expand and grow and change with the world around you, you are being left behind. What brings you inspiration? How are you inspiring those around you to new growth? What new adventure would spark some new light into your head and heart?

On our last night in Calgary, we went on a Segway tour of the city—this was a new experience for the kids, and I love that we ended on a new adventure. My teachers for the week became the students. And it felt like the right transition back into my life on the grid and a great way to stay in touch with all of the inspiration I gathered during the week. Keep reaching for inspiration—you just might find it!

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Fella is the CEO of Bloombase and a certified executive coach and Dare to Lead facilitator. She can be reached at Sheri@ThisIsBloombase.com