“You don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.” —Scott Adams
Our lives matter. This is indeed life-giving news to each of us.
We all want to live lives of significance—lives that make a difference in the world around us. We were designed to live for something greater than ourselves. And each of us were born with an ingrained desire to accomplish that.
As a result, our world cares deeply about influence. We pay for it, fight for it, and study how to get more of it. Our world measures it, ranks it, and ascribes it to people for foolish reasons. But in our constant struggle to attain influence, we often miss out on one very important truth:
We already have it! Each of us is already an influencer of others.
To live is to influence. Whenever and wherever our lives interact with others (at home, at work, on-line, or in our community), we have influence. We change lives. We affect people every single day with the words we say, the looks on our face, the actions we choose, and the decisions we make.
It would be wise for us to stop always asking how to acquire more and instead, start asking what to do with the influence we already have.
The interactions we have in this world offer both a great and challenging opportunity. They can be positive or negative. They can add value to the lives of others or they can take value away. Our opportunity for influence can become an important agent for change or it can further cement the status quo. It can make our world a better place to be or a crummier place to endure. There are no neutral contributors in this world.
Every day, whether we interact with 5 people, 50 people, or 500, our lives matter and produce a ripple effect that extends far beyond us. Let’s model integrity, celebrate growth, encourage strength, and push for positive change.
If we’re not doing well with the influence we already have, why do we think the world would benefit if we had more? (tweet that)
Such a beautiful piece. So often we write a blog or shoot a video and wonder, does anyone care? Is anyone listening?
Then, every so often, you catch a glimpse of the influence you have in your circles. It’s an amazing and an empowering feeling. Thank you so much for capturing that feeling here!
I accidentally fattened my cat and I feel like a horrible influencer.