Being Inspiring Isn't about You

Many people with disabilities often hear "You're such an inspiration" uttered in their direction throughout their lifetime. Personally, I have tended to shrug off such comments with "I'm just me", "I just do what I do", "It's no big deal". I didn't want others minimizing their struggles against mine, or what they assumed were my struggles. Frankly, I have never understood what able-bodies expected myself and others with disabilities to do besides do what we do. Sit around, having a pity party all day? How boring! And, to be honest, at times I have felt the weight and responsibility of the comment; like I had to keep doing whatever I was doing in order to continue being inspirational.

However, that perspective changed last week. A wise friend helped me to see that "You're inspiring" isn't about me, but rather about the other individual.  To inspire means to influence, move, or guide; to breathe or blow into or upon; to be in spirit. What the individual is really saying is "You’ve motivated me not feel sorry for myself." By brushing off his compliment, I am dismissing or discounting something he valued; something he needed in that moment to keep going, to keep breathing.

Rather than shrugging of the compliment, I now understand the importance of graciously accepting those words, spoken with sincerity, as a gift and to respond with a "Thank you. I appreciate your kind words."

How do you respond to "You're an inspiration?" Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment box below.