Intentionality. It’s something I talk, write, and coach about a lot. Chances are, if you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you have heard this before. So why am I writing about it again? Because primarily, I think it is an evergreen message, and secondarily it is a message that can be relearned daily.
Whether you know it or not, you are making an influence in the world. When we talk about people who make an influence or who we call an influencer, we think in grandiose terms. But the truth is, we all make a difference and have influence over other people. This week I want to coach you in writing to recognize it and to turn it more positively intentionally.
First, let’s make sure we’re clear why and who you affect your words, actions, and behaviors. Everything that you do carries some influence over other people. The way you act and interact with people you live with, work with, drive with, and every other activity you do daily has consequences associated with them. And you have the power to influence the effect that they have by your intentionality.
So why you want to be intentional is to make a positive difference in the world. I don’t know many people who would argue against that. Who you influence is everyone. Sure, there are people in the world that grab all of the headlines and are often referred to as influencers. Some of them do it well, and others, not so much. What I want you to realize is you have an influence. Maybe it is only over one person, but we are not grading for numbers here. We are grading for your mindset around how you approach it.
As a lover and user of quotes, this see,s an appropriate place to insert one of my (hundreds of) all-time famous quotes from Dr. Seuss:
“To the world, you may be just one person. But to one person, you may be the world.”
The truth is, if each one of us would set out every day to make a positive difference in the world, we would. We don’t have to know the results or keep a scoreboard of how many people. That is not for us to know. We set out to do it every day, and I promise you it will happen.
The most beautiful thing about this is not what impact you have on other people but what the impact is on you when you do it. I defy you to try it even for just one day and then not be challenged and even fired up to do it even more significantly and intentionally the next day. Over time, like every other good habit, trait, and characteristic, who you become from adopting this mindset is transformational in your mental and emotional development, at a minimum. Speaking for myself, it has impacted every area of my life, including physical and spiritual.
So, my challenge for you this week is an opportunity. We are halfway through 2021, which may come as a shocking and scary thought to many of you. If you are feeling stuck, worried that no matter how hard you have tried, that you can’t seem to become the person you want to be, or if you have large goals and dreams but the cares of the world eat away the weeks, months, and years, I have a solution. It seems so small and so simple that you will be tempted to dismiss it. Please don’t.
Start today, wherever you are with whatever you have, and set out to change the way you act and interact with every person you come across. Smile, be kind and courteous, and if you have to, you can even use words. You will lay your head on your pillow at the end of the day with more gratitude and determination to do even more the next day and every day. That, my friends, is how to live your life on purpose and for a purpose. Happy influencing!
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I also invite you to review my coaching page on my website here. I have only a couple of spots left in my Personal Development Coaching Practice. Each week I offer two free strategy sessions on a first-come, first-served basis to people interested in exploring how to become a person who pursues their goals and dreams. These special hour-long sessions prove again and again to be invaluable to those who participate. You can book these directly on my coaching page – I look forward to serving you.