Mistakes and Community 4 - You are Influential

If I could tun back the time, I would put you first in my life
Lyrics Excerpt from Don't Say It's Too Late by Westlife

Most of us feel inconsequential - we feel that we do not matter - and when we make a Mistake, we are quick to add another reason to our list of why we are unimportant, inconsequential and of no influence because we have directly connected our failings to the reason why we do not and should not matter. So, we act rashly, and make hasty decisions, because we believe that 'those who are better than us' will fix our errors since they know that we are inconsequential and only what 'they' do matters - And so, we let go of our responsibilities too...

Every life is a profession of faith, and exercises an inevitable and silent influence.

Henri Frederic Amiel.

Lesson 4: You are Influential

A Child may have less wisdom than an adult

An Elderly Person, less strength than a child

The Ruler may have more power than the ruled

The Ruled may have more innocence than the ruler

Very early we learn about Value

We learn about place

We learn that there is a value attached to us in relation to others

We learn there is a place assigned to us in relation to others

While we are young we begin to discover connecting cords

Things that bind us to others: family, friends, relations

As we gradually learn about them

We begin to adopt their attitudes... to take cues from them.

But as life moves on, it is easy to forget

Because we stop examining our connections - we just leverage them

We unconsciously forget that the connection goes both ways

And in many different directions - Until we make a mistake.

We remember our connections in the reverberation of the mistake

But even then we do not remember what is important

We remember that we are under scrutiny and are connected to people...

Because we feel the pain of their abandonment and because we need their help

We focus on the damage to our credibility, our person and our image

We remember the smallness of our infancy and wallow in shame

We feel the influence that we have been building shrivel

Yet we don't stop to examine what those damaged connections mean.

Mistakes are not a stamp of no influence

Because your mistakes will highlight your influence like never before

They are indicators of influence built, recognized influence and realized influence

They are reminders of how influential you are - so you can do better next time

Comments and Questions are welcomed. Enjoy your day!

More Resources:

As promised, see below more resources on this series. There is a Short Video as well as an ebook that compiles all the posts in this series into one easily accessible document.