How do and can you use the influence you have over others for positive results? Here are a few influence-related posts you may have missed.
“The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality.”
“The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is.”
Image from Unsplash by Volodymyr Hryschchenko
What do the following have in common?
• The Ten Commandments
• The Pledge of Allegiance
• A catchy campaign slogan
• A vision or mission statement
• Mom’s reminder to wash your hands and brush your teeth as a child
They are all examples of leadership in that they remind us of things we value and believe in.
When most effective, these reminders are not only remembered, but can also be seen coming from those of us engendered by their messages. In this way, leaders create more leaders to share their messages.
Who are the Chief Reminder Officers in your world, and what are their key messages?
Where are or can you be a CRO for others in your personal and professional communities?
Image from Unsplash by Gabriel Meinert
This quote made me think of a recent passage I read on greed, by Mark Nepo. A few of his nuggets include:
“The wanting to experience more than one person can…”
“We race through life with one eye on what we have and one eye on what we don’t.”
“Greed is not restricted to money. It can work its appetite on things such as love, success, and travel.”
Where are you currently risking what you have and need for what you don’t have and don’t need?
Where is enough more than enough to fully appreciate the richness in your life?
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a big success, with about 30,000 Amazon 4 or 5 star ratings. The book explores tiny changes we can make that can lead to remarkable results.
Being mindful and aware of our habits — both good and bad — is a key place to begin. Until we see that there is an obvious — or sometimes obscure — payoff or benefit that serves us in some way, we are destined to repeat them.
Please purchase Clear’s book, or check out its wisdom by exploring some of the excellent YouTube videos or book summaries available.
Also check out Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter in which he shares three ideas, two quotes, and one question to ponder.
His motto for the newsletter is “Working to deliver the most wisdom per word of any newsletter on the web.”
Image from Amazon
I have become a consistent meditator. This daily mindfulness practice has had me thinking a lot about my own thinking and how it influences my experience of life.
Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow fit nicely with this exploration.
Throughout my professional life, I have consistently had a sales role, or at least a position that required persuasion or influence. On many occasions, I noticed that people tend to be pain-adverse rather than pleasure seekers. It seemed that avoiding loss influences our choices more than the potential upside of a particular decision.
What has been your experience?
Observe both your fast and slow thinking on choices and decisions you make today.
Which way of thinking serves you best and offers fewer losses and more gains in your life?
Who are the leaders you wish to emulate? Here are a few leadership-related posts you may have missed.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
“The first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.”
“A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”
Image from Unsplash by Jonathan Plugaru
Who are the elephants in your world? Take a look through your personal and professional communities. Look also beyond your immediate communities to national and global elephants that are throwing their weight around.
How are their skirmishes and all-out brawls impacting the grass and smaller, less powerful creatures beneath their feet? How much disruption, destruction, and scars are left that may never fully heal?
Where and how can you use the sunnier, milder days of the coming spring to calm the elephants in your world?
What actions can you take to reseed your world for all creatures to graze in peace?
Image from Unsplash by Debby Hudson
What did you want to be when you were little?
Who did you look up to and admire and what was it about those special people that inspired you?
How energized and excited did you feel, given the anticipation of one day climbing a similar life ladder to reach your own pinnacles of success?
What ladders are you currently climbing in your vocational efforts? How confident and sure are you that it is absolutely leaning against the right wall, the one that aligns with your vision and values?
This past year full of economic and social upheaval has caused vast amounts of unemployment. Many people face significant challenges in adequately providing for their families. The transition process has caused many to reconsider if they truly want to get back to climbing the same ladder, leaning against the same or a similar wall.
If that scenario resonates with you or someone you know, please consider picking up a copy of the 2020 edition of What Color is your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles.
Image from Unsplash by Marty Southwell
Imagine your life if you were a baby bird. Once you emerge from your shell, you begin taking in the outer world. In the beginning, all seems pretty safe and calm within the nest. Mom and Dad bring tasty bugs and critters to eat, and perhaps you have to fight a few siblings to get your share.
With all this food, you and your family grow, and the nest that was once safe and cozy gets a bit crowded. It is time for Mom and Dad to become empty-nesters!
Where and when have you had baby bird moments in your life? Explore the numerous times you needed to jump and unfold your wings as you began to fall, then soared to higher heights.
What personal or professional growth opportunities are calling you? When will you take the leap so that your life can continue to unfold?
Image from Unsplash by John Cameron
How tired do you feel at the end of a long, challenging day?
Before you head to bed tonight, look at all you did personally and professionally to serve and support others.
How much gratitude and sincere appreciation came your way?
Alternatively, how much and how many of your efforts seemed to be taken for granted or were simply expected by those around you?
Who would notice and what would they notice if you did not fulfill your duties?
Now reverse the situation and look closely at what all the people in your world do for you. Where are you missing or taking for granted the multitude of efforts of others due to your ingrained expectations?
These days, perhaps more than ever, we need to see all people as essential workers who make our lives much better for their generous efforts.
How might paying closer attention to the big and small efforts of others, and a few more words of acknowledgment and appreciation help all of us fall to sleep tonight with a smile of satisfaction?