The Power of Influence

Have you ever wondered how your life influences others? Or how we are influenced by those around us? Recently, I've been thinking about this.  Does my life influence others for the good, or the bad? Is there a grey area? Is it possible to be neutral and not influence either way? I'm not certain, but I think there are only 2 options...we either bring people up, or we pull them down. It's kinda crazy to know that we have the ability to alter the way people think...act....live. We can encourage or discourage.

Let me share a story that serves as a good example about the power of influence. When I wake up for work, I mentally prepare myself. From the moment my feet hit the floor I am thinking good thoughts about the work day. On my drive to work, I pray about the day and ask that God use me to serve Him. I'm usually in a good mood when I get to work (unless I am in desperate need of coffee!). There are mornings that I and am challenged to stay positive, happy and upbeat. Why? Because those around me might be exhausted, negative, critical or unkind.  It's easy to become that way after working all day, isn't it? If I experience these emotions when I walk in the door, it is discouraging and can bring my mood down. On the other hand if I'm greeted by a smile and "good morning", it starts my day off so well! How can something this insignificant change my mindset? It's called the power of influence.

That was a simple example to illustrate a point; there are hundreds of ways that we influence those around us every day…whether we want to or not! There’s a phrase my momma taught me that has stuck. “Think yourself into a way of feeling”. I interpret this as motivating ourselves to think more positively and therefore, our actions will reflect our renewed state of mind. I re-route my mind because I have the power to change my thinking and mood. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that most people would rather bring forth a positive energy as opposed to a negative one.  We have the power to choose our mindset and control the direction of our day (many of us are control freaks in some aspect of life, so this should excite us!). Now, I am not saying  this works for everyone…it just happens to work for me.

It’s important that we make a daily effort to positively influence others.  It’s unrealistic to think that we can be happy all the time or that we can do it all by ourselves. How do we have joy and allow those around us to experience it? I love the verse in Nehemiah 8:10 "the joy of the Lord is my strength." We must look to the source of joy in order to harbor it within ourselves. As we go about our day-to-day lives, let's remember that anyone we come in contact with will be influenced by us. We can encourage others through our kind words, gentle spirit and positive attitude. Let's choose to renew our minds, cleanse our thoughts and allow our joy to be seen by everyone around us.

With love, Stefanie