As a kid, I wanted to become a doctor because I have an uncle who is a doctor. He dresses smartly, wears a pair of glasses and speaks in a very soothing way. This got me thinking the best thing I could ever be was a medical doctor. A friend of mine told me he decided to study industrial chemistry in the university because he had an amazing chemistry teacher in secondary school. If you look back critically, I am sure you also at one time or the other made similar decisions.
Our journey in life is determined by our choices and these choices are made on the platform of influence. Many people are influenced in so many different ways. Some people are influenced by their pastors, parents, friends, celebrities or even strangers. No human being is completely a product of himself, we are interdependent in very complex ways.
I read about the joke pulled by 2face lately (I want to believe it was just a prank) where he talked about having a new baby mama and the whole internet got into a frenzy. In the midst of that drama, I read a lady’s comment where she was justifying her conviction that no man deserves being forgiven and I strongly believe she was talking from her personal experience. Whether it was a joke or not, that occurrence will influence a lot of relationships.
The world we live in is a world of influence. A while ago a friend was talking to me about changing his career and I quickly did a social experiment on him, I picked a career I know nothing about and painted a perfect picture to him, in less than 20 minutes he already concluded he was going to change to that career. I mean a life long change, made in less than 20 minutes based on the testimony of one (don’t think I am a bad friend, I told my friend the truth afterwards and advised him to look inward instead). That is how strong our influence on others can be.
I watched a movie where a certain religious leader told a lady to jump off a cliff, certainly to her death, so she can be rewarded with heaven and without blinking, she jumped. The power of influence. Why are celebrities called influencers? Why do advertisers use celebrities to promote products? It is because they have the ability to influence the decisions many people make.
The sad thing is that many of us do not live with the consciousness that every single thing we do have a great influence on many other people. The clothes you wear, the way you talk, the things you do, what you post on social media all have a great influence on people who look up to you. A certain young man made a post a while ago thanking me for helping him navigate his entrepreneurial journey and I was like, guy, I don’t even know you. But this person said for over a year now, he has been following my posts on Facebook and taking actions. Just imagine.
Whether you like it or not, a lot of people read you like a book and are doing as you do, more reason why you should be more cautious. Imagine the uncle I talked about in my opening paragraph or my friend’s chemistry teacher, they were just doing their thing, not necessarily doing it so anyone can take after them but they did it so well that we wanted to be just like them.
So I ask you my friend, the work you do today, are you doing it in a way worthy of emulation? When you write posts on social media or talk in public do you do it with the consciousness that a lot of people are being influenced by your actions?
I am sure if Seyilaw and Tuface thought of it that way, they won’t have pulled such pranks on their followers. Whether you like it or not, you influence others with the way you live your life. I don’t mean that you shouldn’t do whatever you do however you like but in doing that, do so with the consciousness that your actions directly and indirectly influence many others. Please ensure you influence your world in the best possible way. Be intentional about everything you do.