Inspire On Purpose

Our lives are always intertwined with other lives. First, our biological family, then our extended family. As we continue to grow and mature, we connect with school mates, teachers, other authority figures, workmates, our chosen life partners, the family we create and media figures. We become influenced by some or all of these people, as we ourselves influence some or all of them as well. In any case, it is said that the average person will influence about 10’000 in a lifetime. It is important that you learn to influence consciously.

Think about this: Your telephone rings and your young child answers it. He tells you who it is. You, not wanting to talk with this person, tell the child to tell the caller you are asleep or in the shower or some other lie. The child repeats your lie to the caller and hangs up. You have just influenced your child in the fine art of lying! Is this the kind of inspiration you want to be for your child? Or for anyone else in your life? Being dishonest, untrustworthy, and manipulative does not bid well as attributes of inspiration.

As you consciously and mindfully create your new life story, you must also think about the other supporting characters in your story. How are you relating to them? How are they relating to you? Are you an inspiration to them and are they an inspiration to you? In our current stories, we mindlessly allow people to move into our lives and influence us; and the influence generally negative in nature. We tolerate it as we complain and sulk about it to others who are doing more or less the same. Then as our lives are spiraling out of control, we point the finger and blame those negative influencers, when it was our choice to tolerate it in the first place.

Once you consciously create a new story, you can eliminate the naysayers and the toxic influencers. See yourself surrounded only by nutritious people who will nurture, support and inspire you – as you will for them. It is your choice who you allow in your inner sphere. Granted, we cannot control everyone who crosses our path, but we can control the quality of the relationships. You do not have to accept every invitation to anger, gossip or slander. You have choice. It would do you well to exercise that choice when it comes to who is influencing you. The late motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said you are the average of your five closest friends. If your five closest friends only get together to gossip and complain, then guess who and what you are?

Make the choice to consciously choose who you spend your quality time with and the nature of that time. It should be to encourage each other, support one another and exchange great thoughts and ideas. Become a conscious inspiration to everyone you meet and your life story will be one of brilliance and light!

Dream big!