Influences

"We perceive and are affected by changes too subtle to be described." -Henry David Thoreau

I hear many times during the work week people talking about the issues they have with their job or life that is going on around them. Listening to them, you would wonder how it is they struggle to even get up in the morning. To face the world must be such a huge problem for them. As I listen to them, it strikes me they have a few things in common.

One is that they have a perpetual wallowing in self doubt and complaint regarding their surroundings. I have wondered why they remain within that constant cycle of complaint. Maybe it would be better to step back, look at life and examine their surroundings. In doing so, maybe they will begin to understand the influences that surround their lives.

Now is the time for you to figure out what is happening in your world that forever holds you back. Now is the time to change things in your life. Maybe a different radio station. Maybe a different route to work. Maybe just a determination to change your own attitude.

The influences that surround your life are very powerful in a subtle way. Do you congregate with friends that are always negative about things? Try meeting more positive people. This does not mean to bring your troubles and pains to them. It means to listen and catch the spirit of their life.

I have repeated to many people an old phrase which says, "tell me your sad story and I will tell you a hundred sadder stories." What happens to you, to me or to others is life. Life itself is an influence on us and how we choose to respond is up to us.

An example of changing up the influences in life is one of music. I have a wide range of musical taste and for a long time listened to rock stations on the way to and from work. With the aggressive music I found myself becoming much more aggressive in my driving habits. I would race to be ahead of the other 20 or 30 thousand cars on the freeway. Driving this way would push me to the point of complete irritation.

I found my work day was starting out in a very bad way and coming home I was wound so tight, the transition to home life was difficult at best. Something had to change, I needed to find a way to relax during the drive. So I found it by switching the radio station to classical music. My drive became filled with the soothing sounds of the great composers. My drive to or from work is now filled with relaxation and not irritation. It certainly helps me stay unwound and better able to focus.

The point being is that I examined one part of my life and made a change. I made the choice to change my life and attitude which in turn effected others around me. By doing so, by examining your surroundings and than making a change in your life, the results can be amazing.

Enjoy the results of change by changing from the wrong influences to the right kind of influences. And most of all, say inspired my friends.