DO YOU WANT TO BE AN INFLUENCER?

A LOT OF PEOPLE THESE DAYS HAVE THE GOAL OF BECOMING AN INFLUENCER. THEY SEE THE LAVISH LIFESTYLES OF PEOPLE LIKE THE KARDASHIANS, INTERNET MODELS AND GAMERS AND THINK, “WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF INFLUENCE?”

LET US LOOK AT WHAT AN INFLUENCER ACTUALLY IS. SIMPLY DEFINED, IT IS A PERSON WITH A GROUP OF FOLLOWERS WITH WHOM THEY HOLD SWAY AND AFFECT THEIR CHOICES AND ACTIONS. THE STANDARD THOUGHT IS THE GREATER NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS, THE MORE OF A SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCER YOU ARE.

I HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH THAT DEFINITION OF SUCCESS. I CERTAINLY WOULD SAY THAT QUALITY TRUMPS QUANTITY EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. I BELIEVE THE STRONGER YOUR INFLUENCE AND THE MORE POSITIVE AND INSPIRING IT IS, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE. IF YOU HAVE A MILLION FOLLOWERS, BUT WHAT YOU SAY HAS LITTLE, IF ANY, POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR LIVES, YOU ARE NOT A VERY INFLUENTIAL PART OF THEIR LIVES.

HERE IS A GREAT SECRET – YOU ARE ALREADY AN INFLUENCER! WHETHER YOU ARE A BOSS AT WORK, SOMEONE YOUR COWORKERS LOOK FORWARD TO INTERACTING WITH, A PARENT, A GREAT FRIEND OR EVEN JUST SOMEONE WHO HAS CONTACT WITH OTHERS (THAT SHOULD COVER EVERYONE) YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER. HERE IS THE QUESTION, HOW DO YOU INFLUENCE AND IMPACT THEIR LIVES? DO YOU INSPIRE YOUR EMPLOYEES? DO YOU APPRECIATE YOUR COWORKERS? DO YOU ENCOURAGE AND MOTIVATE YOUR CHILDREN? DO YOU SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDS? DO YOU SHOW KINDNESS AND COMPASSION TO STRANGERS AND THOSE YOU INTERACT WITH?

THINK OF HOW YOU INFLUENCE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE TODAY. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, PLAN HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE COMING YEAR.