Inspiration - Where does it come from?

I've been thinking about this since I watched Michelle Obama's speech the other night. I started to think about what inspires me to get up everyday? What inspires me to do the work that I do. Many people tell me they could never due the work that I do. Working with people with persistent mental illness and drug addiction can be very trying. You meet people from all walks of life. Some of them have family that support them and others are out there trying to make it on their own. Others have money and can afford to pay for treatment, but there are many that cannot afford treatment and only by the grace of their higher power are they able to get help. Some come to treatment because they really want to be there and others are only there to do time. These are the ones that are the hardest but most rewarding to treatment. With patience and skill you can get the ones that first come to due time to really want treatment and want to make changes in their lives. What I have to remember everyday is that I may only be working with one person but that one person probably touches the lives of at least ten other people. These can be family members, co-workers, friends and people they just meet on the street. If I can be a force in their life to change how they think and act then they have the capability to touch at least ten other people in the same way. If we all just thought this way - not just social workers. If we could just think that the way I treat this person in front of me today the way I want to be treated then it will have a ripple effect on at least ten other people. So for today - try to treat that difficult person in your life with care and tenderness and to tell the people in your life that you love them and appreciate them. Just think of the effect you could have on the world. Remember it starts with just one person. You could be the person to change the world today. Leave me feedback and tell me how your day went. I'd be interested in seeing how changing your perspective had an effect on the people around you.