You have heard the saying many times in life that if you want something, find somebody who has what you want, and do what they’re doing. Who you are being influenced by says so much about your life, and about where you’re going. This has been something in 2020 that I have tried to be more intentional about, and I can tell you, it’s paying dividends in my life ten-fold. So many times we want change in our life, change in our relationships, change in our career, but we never stop to look around us and take inventory of the people we’re surrounding ourselves with, whose advice we’re taking, and whose lives we’re mirroring. You don’t realize that your influences in life are totally influencing your life and where it’s at. Maybe you needed a wake up call like me as to who you’re letting invest in your life and in your future. You might realize when you take inventory that you are not at all headed in the direction you thought you were, or that you want to be headed in.
Let me give you a few examples of where I’m going with this.
- Your marriage or intimate relationships – Are you investing in your relationship at all, or just casually getting by each day hoping that relationship just takes care of itself, and works out? Look around you at your friends and tell me how their relationships are. I mean the closest people you and your significant other spend the most time with. Do they mirror a relationship you’re striving for and would like to have? Do they invest in their relationship? Do they support each other? Do they take time for each other? Or do they complain about each other every time you’re together and just pick each other apart? Do they look and make comments about attractive people they see or do they make comments about the person they’re with? Do they set aside time for each other, or spend more time with their friends or co-workers? Do you see where I’m going? If you’re spending time with people who don’t have the marriage you want, who don’t invest in that relationship and make it a priority, or who have wondering eyes, that could rub off on you and your relationship. Maybe you should spend more time seeking out couples who have the relationship you would like to mirror and see if that starts effecting your relationship in a positive manner. If you’re surrounding yourself with friends that bad mouth your spouse rather than urge you to see the positive and work on the relationship, that could be influencing how you see your spouse as well. Your friends should be able to be your sounding board, but not just always take your side if you need to see things from a different perspective. Take inventory! If you want a better marriage or relationship, seek out some couples who have one you would like to strive for, and let them influence your relationship in a more positive way. You can also impact others relationships as well. Are you and your spouse positively pouring into the lives of those you are around? Do they see the example of what they want their marriage or relationships to be like? Only you can answer that question.
- Your career or job – What’s the culture like where you work? How do you contribute to that? Are you part of the complainers crowd or part of the crowd that supports what the leadership is trying to do and wants to be part of the growth? Do you sit with your co-workers and gossip and find fault with everyone else or do you lift up others? Your attitude is contagious and the attitude of everyone else is too. If your stuck in your career or at your place of work, it might be time to see who you’re hanging with in the break room, and also take a check of your attitude. If you’re not seeing growth and advancement, this might be the problem. If there’s nobody else in your company with a good attitude, try changing yours and see if you can positively impact the work environment. If you can’t, it may be time to re-think where you work. But it could also be who you are choosing to pal around with too. If you want growth and advancement in your career, seek out those people who have done it and mirror what they did to get there. A great attitude, hard work and having a growth mindset will pay off for you in the end. I’ve been caught up in this one. It’s easy to get caught up in office drama sometimes, but you have to be strong enough to say I want different things for my future!
- Your growth and attitude – Who are your mentors in life? This one will say so much about what direction you’re headed in. Do you spend all your time mindlessly watching reality TV, where the Kardashians are Jett-setting of to this time, or do you actually spend time listening to speakers who have accomplished something in life? If you want growth in your life TURN OFF THE TV!!!!!!!! I am telling you 500% this one is going to dramatically change your life. What books are you reading? What podcasts are you listening to? Who are you watching on You Tube? Who are you following on social media? If you want to stay stuck in life, keep doing what you’ve been doing, but be honest about where that has gotten you. What we feed into our minds is what is going to come out. Garbage in equals garbage out! Who you are letting feed into your life can drastically impact your mindset and your emotions. You must choose the people you let in very carefully!
So let me challenge you today to look around and see if you need to remove some influencers in your life, and, to take inventory of the kind of influence you are being to those around you. When we get to our deathbed, will we say, I made an impact and accomplished what I wanted in life, or will we say I followed the wrong crowd and I have so many regrets in life. It really is scary to think about, but we have to admit that the people who influence us really do have the power to change the trajectory of our lives. I hope you will choose the path of those who have gone before you who have done the great things you want to do, and who have the amazing relationships you want. Seek them out! They’re out there! You just have to look! You just have to decide what you want!
With love for you all,
Shauna
Shauna's Sisters 