“The need to impress others causes half the world’s woes.” —Vernon Howard
More often than we would care to admit, the desire to impress others motivates our lives. This desire to impress others impacts the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the technology we embrace, and the careers we choose.
Unfortunately, it is often elusive. Cars rust. Fashion changes. Technology advances. And the purchases that impressed your neighbor yesterday make no impression today. As a result, we live our lives with out-of-style clothes, jobs that we hate, skyrocketing personal debt, and jealousy towards our neighbor who seems to have it all… until that unquenchable desire to impress begs us to begin the cycle again.
The hard truth is we often look to impress others in all the wrong places.
Take a moment and identify the people in your life that truly impress you. What is it about their life that inspires you? Make a list. Very rarely (if ever) is it the car that they drive or the size of their home. Most often, the people that truly inspire us possess the invisible, intangible qualities that we all desire.
Consider this list of 15 Intangible, Surefire Ways to Impress Others:
1. Be Generous. Regularly give your time, energy, and money to others without expecting anything in return. The giving of your life to another is one of the most impressive things you can ever do.
2. Laugh Often. Be that person that routinely laughs at other’s jokes and stories. It concretely communicates that you enjoy life and their company. They’ll be impressed and you’ll be a more joyful person.
3. Be Optimistic. Always, always, always focus on the good aspects of people and situations. Sometimes you have to look harder than others, but you’ll always be glad you did.
4. Love Your Kids. And by love your kids, I mean genuinely like them too. Enjoy being with them, spending time with them, and investing in their lives. This love towards children will be evident in your life even when they aren’t around.
5. Be Faithful to Your Spouse. Marital fidelity is going out of style too quickly these days. Stay faithful to the one you chose. Trust me, your friends and colleagues will be impressed… not to mention your partner.
6. Develop Your Strengths. I am impressed by good singers, authors, writers, architects, speakers, CEO’s, computer programmers, mothers, and athletes (just to name a few). There is only one thing they all have in common: They discovered their strengths and developed them with great discipline. Do the same with your unique giftedness and temperament. And regardless of the profession you choose, you will impress.
7. Travel. See the world. You will change and be better because of it.
8. Appreciate Different Opinions. While there is nothing wrong with being dogmatic in your beliefs, a healthy appreciation of how others came to theirs is definitely an impressive quality.
9. Love Your Life. Don’t fall into the trap of living life like everyone else. Avoid television and consumerism. Embrace your passions and find enjoyment in your life. The people around you will be impressed… and jealous.
10. Encourage More. Living your life in competition with those around you will never impress. After all, everyone else is already doing that. Change the world by being different. Seek to encourage and lift up others. And the person who benefits the most just may be you.
11. Love Nature. People who exhibit care for the physical world around us exhibit care for all humanity.
12. Listen Intently. Eyes focused. Ears tuned. Cell phone off. In a world that can’t move fast enough, someone who can find time to listen is as rare as a precious jewel… and far more valuable.
13. Be Modest. You are special, unique, and gifted. And the less you make an effort to tell everyone that, the more they will notice.
14. Be Content. A contented life is enjoyable, desirable, and admirable. Those who don’t have it, desire it. And are impressed with those who have.
15. Don’t Live to Impress. Live to Inspire. Give up your desire to impress everyone you meet. But never give up your desire to inspire everyone you meet.
Of course, the greatest thing about this list is that you already possess everything you need to inspire others. So why not get started?
Stop trying to impress others with the things that you own and begin inspiring them by the way you live your life. (tweet that)
Jyotish Kumar says
Hello Joshua,
Cool Sir Keep It Up! I really appreciated your 15th Point which is “Don’t Live to Impress Others Rather live to inspire ♥️.” Awesome Sir, These all points are too good which explains that change is must important for life and person who is happy in today’s era is very lucky.
Regards,
Jyotish
Md. Anwarul haque says
Very impressive quat’s changing og life
Sana Hakeem says
Beautifully described. After reading your article, I come to know I have these qualities which I forgot or in other words never bothered about to them. Thank you for reminding them to me.?
Judy says
Wonderful this is a wake-up call.
amy says
This is really an inspiring post. I love the final words at the end of the post: Stop trying to impress others with the things that you own and begin inspiring them by the way you live your life.
by living inspiring life, we know the deeper meaning of life and can enjoy life much more easier.
Thank you so much for your good work!
Marilyn says
I agree with most of these except travelling. I can do all of this near home. I’ve done a bit of travelling and find that wherever you go, there you are. I have never found a bed or pillow as comfortable as my own.
M. Waters says
Love this. While I love to travel…I love to come home. If you enjoy wherever you find yourself…yay. Simple pleasures.
Callie says
I see travel as a tricky one. Tourism is consumerism and it is environmentally reckless. Does one need to travel to develop worldliness, compassion and open-mindedness? I am not at all convinced. Seeking simpler experiences closer to home can deliver all those things and serve to remind us that the answers to our woes do not lie in geographical escapism.
Sagar Jha says
I love this article.Life isn’t mean to stay in one place.It must be as bird.This world is just like heaven for us if we realize our necessity of being prescence.
srikanta Jena says
It is an excellent article for positive thought and inspiration
Sachin Parse says
Awesome, I like this approach.
Iqbal says
The article is very well written. But there are few more things which, I want to mention here for all the readers, that this world is totally a different place where we all are living/working to make other people feel happy, because, generally in this universe no one wants you to see happy and sailing smoothly in your life.
It is the factual and bitter reality of this world that other people very easily become jealous of you if the see that you are progressing in your work/life.
Therefore, I will suggest that enjoy your own life and live as you wish to live your life. As happiness comes from your inner heart.
Therefore, their is no need to try to impress others to feel gald. If you are self contained you will feel more happy and enjoy you life without having a tension to impress others.
Keep smiling all the time and live your life happily the way you want to live.