the importance
of reading
“This word empowers people,” Hall
explains. “It gives them permission to
be who they were meant to be.”
Passionate About Purpose
Of course, it is one thing to simply say
words have a deeper meaning than we
might assume—to tell somebody that
words really can change them for the better.
It’s quite another to prove it—and
help them use those meanings to build
a better life
That, in essence, is what Hall does.
As the author of Aspire, he’s created
a much-celebrated roadmap toward a
greater understanding of why we should
care about the meaning of words (among
the fans of the book are such renowned
speakers as Steven Covey, Bob Proctor
and John C. Maxwell, as well as actress
Jada Pinkett Smith and author Gail
Sheehy). As a consultant, he works with
Fortune 500 companies in sectors ranging
from financial services to health care to
hospitality to help them create stronger,
more impactful messages and brands.
And as a speaker, he encourages his audiences, no matter their line of work, to
pause, to read, to think, and to ponder
the wonders that surround them—the
wonders of words.
As the author
of Aspire, Hall
has created a
much-celebrated
roadmap toward
a greater under-
standing of why
we should care
about the meaning
of words.
“I’m really passionate about
purpose,” he says. “My mission is to
help people discover their purpose,
and to help organizations fulfill their
purpose. I do that through words. The
questions I ask are, ‘What are words—
and what do they mean?’ I have CEOs
and Fortune 500 companies who get
stumped on their branding statements
or mission statements, and they ask me,
‘So, what are the right words?”
More often than not, Hall has
answers.
Early last decade, he helped the Salt
Lake Olympic Committee come up
with their slogan for the 2002 Games:
“Ignite the Fire Within.” More recently,
he worked with Dunkin Donuts to
refine its mission statement, encourag-
ing the company to employ the power
of the word “hospitality” (“It all boiled
down to one word,” he says. “If every
employee viewed every customer as a
guest in their own home, everything was
going to improve.") And maybe most
importantly, he’s helped countless indi-
viduals—some struggling with addiction,
some simply looking for a new direction
in life—find greater meaning in their
own lives.
Tim Hyland’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Fast Company, Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Life.
Hyland lives in Flourtown, Pa., and can be
reached at timothyhyland@gmail.com.
