Being a Responsible Influence

Recently I ran into an old tennis friend and eye doctor, Dr. Steve T. Jackson. After we caught up a bit, Steve stopped to thank me for giving him a copy of my book, “How to Ignite Your Passion for Living”. He mentioned that he had loaned it out and was having a hard time getting it back. It was a book that really influenced him and he knew it was helping those he shared it with.

The encounter with Dr. Jackson was not that unusual. One of the most rewarding things about having written the book has been having people stop to tell me how helpful it has been for them. But this chance meeting with the doctor was a little more than confirmation that the book was truly helping others. It also affirmed for me the idea and goal I’ve been talking about in the last couple of posts.

Steve said it was the chapter on goal setting that really got him thinking about getting back in touch with the people that influenced him. Like me, he set a goal to organize a gathering of all the great people he’d meet over the years. Dr. Jackson, life myself, had realized just how important the influence of others are in our life and what we do with it.

He thanked me profusely for reminding him of this point, one that I hadn’t even realized was there. But that, in the end, is the point. We influence people in ways we don’t even expect and the people that influence us don’t always realize the impact they’ve had. That goes for the negative influences as well as the positives. So whatever you do, aim to promote the admirable qualities and the motivation to succeed in others.

I hope all who read and are motivated by “How to Ignite Your Passion for Living”, pay it forward by motivating and energizing the people around them. What a fantastic world this would be if we all did that. And what huge gathers Steve and I would have to put together!