Short Inspirational Stories
and Poems

Inspirational stories and poems come in many shapes and sizes but all share the common element of inspiration!

You'll find long and short inspirational poems, but the collection of inspiring stories on this website is of the 'short' and 'short short' variety.

Here, you are invited to both read, and to submit:

• Uplifting short short stories - Wikipedia tells us that stories with less than 1000 words fall in the short short story category.
• Inspirational short stories - These are stories up to about 20,000 words.

By those definitions, most uplifting stories contributed here will likely be short short stories, but you are welcome to submit longer 'short inspirational stories' too. However many words doesn't really matter. The real key is that what you will be doing is adding another light to help inspire and uplift the world.

Share your short inspirational stories for all to enjoy and you receive a free ebook of short short stories in the form of happiness and wisdom tales!

Your inspirational story (along with picture too if you like) will be reviewed, and all short inspirational stories accepted will be posted on their own individual web page. (A book of inspiring stories is also being compiled, so you might be asked if you would like your story published too. :) You can tell your friends and family about the page your inspirational short story is on, so they can also read and enjoy it.

If you want help for writing, check out these inspirational short story writing tips.

Ideas for Inspirational Short Stories to Share

Here are some great subject ideas for short inspirational stories:

1. Share stories about the most inspirational people that you know or have heard of.

   We usually don't have to look too far for an uplifting story based on an inspiring person. It might be about:

   • Uplifting family stories. You might want to honor a family member by highlighting why they are so special and inspiring to you. This can be a wonderful opportunity to say 'thank you' to someone close that has helped you in your life. You write the story about their positive influence in your life, and it bears witness to them, and lets the world read about their goodness. Great idea for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc.
   
   
   • Friends, acquaintances, community members, or international citizens that have touching stories. Many people overcome difficulties in life with a strong spirit of determination and persistence, or reach out and help others in a heartwarming spirit of caring and contribution. And many of them do it with real grace that makes us feel inspired by human nature and potential.
   
   
   • Short love stories can be really inspiring. Makes sense, since love is such a dynamic emotion that most everyone has experienced. It's often surprising and uplifting to learn how couples met and fell in love. With just a little detective work you can probably uncover some wonderful short stories about love among your friends, parents, and grandparents.
   
   
   • Tell us about public figures (such as, Lady Dianne, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Oprah, or???) that you think qualify as famous inspirational people, and how they inspire the world to bigger and better things.
   
   
   
2. Yourself! Tell us true short stories about how personal development has occurred in your life. How did you learn certain life lessons? What difficulties have you overcome, and how? Do you have an inspirational story about losing weight, or overcoming an addiction, or meeting the partner of your dreams, or finding your passion, or? All of these true short stories inspire and give hope to others that might be on a similar path, or know someone who is.
   
   
3. Friendship stories can be powerful, motivational and inspirational. Do you know stories about people who have taken care of one another through thick and thin, good and bad? These might even be short inspirational love stories that outline what people do to help ensure the well being of another person.
   
   
4. Emotionally touching short animal stories - There are lot's of inspiring stories about animals. Animals have been known to help save a person's life, warn people of danger, and take care of other animals. You might know about two unlikely animals becoming friends, which is always fun to hear about too. It helps us humans to think that maybe there is hope in all of us getting along!
   
   
5. True miracle stories - Things appear to be miracles when the mechanics and reasons behind something isn't apparent. When you really want or need something to happen, and it happens, but you can't see any logical reason for it... it seems like a miracle. Some people might call these 'strange but true stories'.
   
   
6. Fictional short stories to inspire personal development - Luke Skywalker and Yoda weren't real, yet how many thousands of people were inspired by Yoda's message... 'let the force be with you'.
   
   
7. There are many existing inspirational short stories that take the form of folktales, parables, and moral stories. You can put these themes into your own words and share them.
   
   
8. Inspirational sports stories drive people to greater achievement. It might be physical or mental achievement of winning, or perhaps of just completing, or even just participating. Let us know about your favorite inspirational sports stories.
   
   
9. Practice random acts of kindness and inspire us with your resulting stories. If you don't yet have an inspirational story to share, this is an easy and fun way to create one! Go out and 'pay it forward' through a random act of kindness. Then come back here and tell us about it. Some simple random acts of kindness ideas I've heard about are: paying for a stranger's coffee or meal in a restaurant; spot a garden that needs tending and offer to do some gardening for the owners; pay the carwash for the person behind you.
   
   
10. Business success stories can certainly inspire and motivate self development. Read some inspiring entrepreneur success stories and then think of your own or one you might know about, and tell us here.

Check out a typical style for motivating and uplifting stories by having a play with this inspirational short stories example. You can personalize it, so it's a bit of fun.

Saved by an Omelette by Lisa Lehr In a twist on the theme "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade," a summer made miserable by a host of plagues was saved by the special delivery of an omelette.

Blind Faith of the Heart This short inspirational story is a wonderful example of blind faith of the heart. Author Marcia Wieder offers a thought provoking explanation of why it can make sense to act from blind faith.

Read some of my own true short stories inspiring my personal development.

Personal Development Home from Inspirational Stories