With the inaguaration of Barack Obama today, history was made. While I haven’t been glued to a TV today and pretty much had a business as usual approach to my day, I have still been impacted by the fact that there’s new leadership, new excitement, and new hope for millions of people all over the globe. I can’t remember an election in my lifetime that has produced as much attention as this one and perhaps one with the biggest potential for change (some good and some not so good). There was quite a bit of conversation from my speaker colleagues today on President Obama and his speech (which isn’t a surprise since we call ourselves professional speakers). It’s likely that there are many organizations that will change leaders this year. While the reach isn’t as great, there will also be opportunities to others to make history too.  What kind of history are you committing to making? What changes are you inspiring in organizations for which you belong? What kind of hope are you rekindling in your family, your career, your business or your life.?  Perhaps it’s time to challenge yourself. Challenge the way you do business. Challenge traditions in organizations for which you serve. Mix it up, mess it up, and most importantly make history.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, healthcare, and financial services. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com