Being Influenced

Think about it…  How easily you’re influenced by others?  Do you have your own say?  Or you let others say things for you?  Do you stand your ground?  Or you think others know better?

Of course, some influence is great.  We become better people because of it; we learn something from our heroes or people we admire.  We become who we want to become.

There is also another type of influence that works quite opposite.  If we do not have our say in anything, do not stand for our own beliefs, others will influence us any way they want to.  They can shape us in any way and form if we allow them.  We become who we really not.

How to tell a difference?  How to resist unhealthy influence?  How to stay who we truly are despite constant influence from others?

Here are the answers:

1) Follow your instincts;

2) Do not do anything that feels not right for you;

3) Have your own opinion;

4) Stand your ground;

5) Do not let others change who you are or your work that you stand for.

You are unique, and nobody is like you.  Why change yourself or your work according other person’s expectations?  If it is no longer you, do not do it, do not let others to influence you.

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Confinement

All our lives somebody tries to confine us.  “You cannot do this, you cannot do that,” “You are not good enough,” “You are not smart enough,” “You are not pretty enough.”  Others try to mold us according to their own expectations and beliefs.

How do we react to that?  Do we start to believe in it?  Do we give in into the confinement?  Do we try to fit into other people’s mold?  Do we lose sense of who we really are by pleasing others?  Do we lose our self-esteem in the process?

Or, do we become trouble-makers and stand our ground, and not let others to put us down and tell us what we can and cannot do?  Do we keep a strong sense of who we are and do not let others to put handcuffs on us?  We do as we please.  We do not care what others think.  If there is no way, do we find the way?

People who misbehave, stand for their beliefs and refuse to be confined most of the time are the winners.  They not only stand their ground, but they make a big difference in other lives.  Great examples are:

Rosa Parks in 1955 refused illegally to give her seat to a white person.  It sparked a civil rights movement.

Gandhi, despite strong opposition, gained autonomy for India from Great Britain without violence.

Although it sounded ridiculous at the time, Walt Disney built the “happiest place on earth” in the middle of orange groves.

Ed Roberts, paralyzed from the neck down, instead of concentrating on his own pain, improved quality of life for the disabled, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and became director of the California State Department of Rehabilitation.

So, should we give in to other people’s confinement or should we be trouble-makers and stand our ground and make a difference not only in our lives, but in lives of others?

(Examples are taken from Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins)

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