Influence

What is influence? Is it the ability to sway people? Is it your powers of persuasion? Your ability to con people? The impact you have on others?

Dictionary.com refers to it as:

1. A power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially one that operates without any direct or apparent effort: relaxed under the influence of the music; the influence of television on modern life.
2. Power to sway or affect based on prestige, wealth, ability, or position: used her parent's influence to get the job.
3. 
   
1. A person who exerts influence: My parents considered my friend to be a bad influence on me.
2. An effect or change produced by influence.
4. 
   
1. A determining factor believed by some to affect individual tendencies and characteristics understood to be caused by the positions of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth.
2. Factors believed to be caused by the changing positions of the stars and planets in relation to their positions at the time of one's birth.

How does one attain influence? How do you measure influence? Against what or who do you judge it?

We can go to many conferences and seminars, training sessions and courses to learn more about leadership… Team leader trainings, team building, management, delegation, mediation, etc… the list goes on… but where does one go to better equip and skill themselves in influence? Are some people just born with it? Is it the haves versus the haves not?

What does it mean when someone says that so and so is an influential person? Is that a reflection of their powers of persuasion? Or is it just a reflection of how gullible the receiver is?

TIME Magazine released TIME 100 this week… their list of the world’s 100 most influential people. “TIME’s list of the men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.”

The list is divided into several categories…

Leaders and Revolutionaries – Warriors and peacemakers, dictators and democrats, terrorists and holy men – these are the men and women with the clout and power to change our world.

Artists and Entertainers – Whether inspired by boxing or Bush, comedy or kung fu, this diverse group of stars has won fans and spawned imitators around the world.

Builders and Titans – Hot gadgets, cool sales techniques and sheer brashness (welcome back Martha!) make these business brains the world’s most influential.

Scientists and Thinkers – Whether to conquer space or remake the political world, they have come up with the big ideas of our time.

Heroes and Idols – They righted the wrongs, played through the pain, offered spiritual solace or simply inspired us with their remarkable talents.

It seems that influence is differentiated between neither good nor bad…

Generally, whenever we talk about someone else having some kind of influence on our lives, we generally talk about it in a positive light. We prefer to focus on the positive influences on our lives and that makes sense. We might often refer to a dearly loved grandparent or uncle or aunty whom we were really close to while growing up, who were really influential in how our simple minds and attitudes developed.

Very rarely do we dwell on the negative influences in our lives. Usually as kids our parents may have said that we’re not to play with so and so…

Also, it seems that the discernment of influence is very much retrospective. We don’t recognise or acknowledge that someone, something, or some event having had some form of influence on our lives till we look back and reflect on it... Very very very rarely do we consider powers of influence in the future… We usually consider how someone “had” an influential hand in our lives at a certain point in time… very rarely do we consider that someone “will” have an influential role in our lives in the future… of course, we’ll consider our partners and families as always having an influential role in our lives for times to come… but outside our immediate surroundings, there’s no one else really who we may point to as an influential character for the future.

When I scan down the list of people, there are some names that I can definitely agree with having had some sort of influence on my life either directly or indirectly... Admittedly, they tend mostly to be politicians or world leaders… People like George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Ariel Sharon etc… I can’t say that these people have had a positive influence on my life, however, nonetheless, and influence they have been, more so in shaping the political landscape of the world in which we live in.

As I scan the other categories I can’t help but scratch my head at some of these names, not just because I don’t know who half of them are, but also at the bemusement to think if they actually have had any influence on my life! Names like Martha Stewart?? I don’t think so… not me… Oprah Winfrey? Umm… again probably not… Jay-Z?? *shrugs* Zhang Ziyi? I’ve been moved and entertained by her performances on screen, but influenced? Dun think so… haven’t been inspired to take up marital arts… :P

However, there are definitely names on the list with which I can say have definitely been a direct influence on my life.

The Halo Trinity! Halo 2 has changed my life!! I’ve spent hours of my life fixated to my xbox and tv battling as Master Chief against the alien Covenant forces! My life is now complete!!! :PPP

The Google guys! Whose life has not been changed and influenced by Google???? These guys changed and revolutionised the way we access information! They’re also beginning to revolutionise web based email with Gmail too! So great is their influence that we no longer say “look it up, or do a search…” rather we say.. “Google this, or Google that...” It has become part of our vocabulary!!!

Lee Kuan Yew… This guy definitely had an influence on my life as I grew up in Singapore… LKY described in TIME as “The Philosopher King” shaped and moulded Singapore’s political, geographic and economic landscape… His influence over the people reached right into your living room as he socially engineered Singapore and instilled in it’s people his ethos and outlook for life. He is someone I still greatly respect and look up to as a man with great foresight, leadership, passion, influence and determination…

I am most pleased to see that two prolific Christian writers made it onto the top 100 list… John Stott and Rick Warren. Rick Warren is the author of “The purpose driven life”, and John Stott is the author of numerous books and commentaries such as “The Cross of Christ”. I haven’t yet read “The Purpose Driven Life” or “The Cross of Christ” though they are both books on my to read list. I have however, used a couple of John Stott’s commentaries. These are both men who I expect will be influential in developing my biblical understanding and application for many years to come… It’s wonderful to see that they have been recognised as influential men this year, and we can only pray that more and more Christians will be stand up and be counted and exert their God gifted influence on our world.

I return to my original question… What is influence? How do you attain it? How do you measure influence? Against what or who do you judge it?

I think we all possess powers of influence. It is inherent in all of us… We are all able to have an impact on the lives of others in both small and big ways. Often the influence we have on someone’s life may not be seen for many years. And often the impact we have on someone’s life may go unnoticed or uninformed until they share it with us.

A simple smile, or a shoulder to cry on, can have an untold impact and influence on someone’s life. Sharing a verse of scripture, or word of advice, rebuke, encouragement or love can have untold impact on someone’s life. Our influence on others is as simple as sharing our lives with them… the extent and degree to which we influence others lives I believe will depend on how open and honest we are in sharing our lives with others. And I believe that if we go out with the intent to share our lives with others and seek to encourage and build others up that we cannot but succeed in being a positive influence on the lives of others.

Most of all, the biggest influence that anyone can have on anyone else can only come by sharing the Gospel with them. I believe that the Gospel of Christ is the single biggest influence on anyone’s life, whether Christian or not. And thus living as a Christian is also therefore the next biggest influence on anyone’s life.

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” – 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

The Gospel of Christ is salvation to some, and judgement and condemnation to others. To those who accept and receive it, it is life eternal, to those that don’t, it is death. Jesus Christ came not only to save but to separate. He will return again not only save but to separate.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left… Then they (sic the goats) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” – Matthew 25:31-33, 46

There can be no greater influence than this.