Influence is powerful, it could be so strong on an individual that he could find himself doing the things he swore he would never be caught dead doing or doing the things he never thought was possible for him to do.
At the moulding stage of a child, he/she copies what he sees. After going through peer pressure in the adolescence stage, he later develops individuality/independence where he begins to assert himself until he grows old enough to be a person of influence. A classic example is my 3year old daughter who i’ve caught several times saying the things i’d been saying without thinking about them. I knew the influence was strong. She was watching, listening and xeroxing. One day, she used an abusive word at someone. Then i called her and asked her where she heard it from; i asked her if she had ever heard me or her dad use that word before. She said no; so i told her not to say things that we never say. I’ve never heard her use that word since then. She probably has forgotten the word exists until someone says it again after then.
Yesterday, i heard about a girl who was a virgin before she started going out with a guy. The lady, after persuasion from the guy started having sex with him. Later, the guy tested to HIV, then the lady went for a test and also tested positive. Now, they’re making plans to get married asap. The guy’s influence on her made an irreversible impact on her life. Things can never be the same again. Everyone i have met having one vice or the other which some of them desperately want to change got involved with it finding an older relative doing it.
Personally, i think at every point in time, one is either influencing or being influenced and there is a need for regular checks to know what side of the scale one is on. Here are a few helpful tips:
1. Decide what type of influence you’re going to be, regardless of where you are per time.
2. Identify every environment of people you find yourself as an area of influence, and be quick to decipher whether it’s positive or negative.
3. We are all products of influences so we have the responsibility of seeking out and surrounding ourselves with the right influences and running away from costly negative influences.
Finally, i’ll encourage my readers to live consciously, knowing that they could be the reason why a person will rise or fall.
2 Comments
Sometimes I wonder if I am leaving right enough for people to emulate me
A lot of times you see those you think are not looking at you saying things like “I was encouraged by the way she did that” or I trust her, she wouldnt do that kind of thing and you find yourself wondering if someone else somewhere who is not saying it to your face is saying the opposite.(Negative) about you.
This is why a conscious effort must be made each day to watch the way we act, speak and conduct ourselves both in public and in our private zone. Especially when those younger are involved.
In our daily lives knowing that we have responsibility for not just ourselves but the lives of a lot more who look up to us, we should endeavour to live lives keeping positive friends (friends that add + values) and also adding + values.
Cheers.
it is really a good thing to be on the positive side of a good product of influence.i never knew the teenagers in my church are watching me in whatever i’m doing until one day when two of them called and told one wrong thing that i did,in going close to one of our youth pastor and everyone was saying he was going out with me.Actually after the conversation i reaised people were watching me,so i withdrew.please talk more on product of influence.keep it up ma