Ideas and Influence (Do people listen to you?)

​​​​​​​​Phaytea’s Pulse is participating in the #AtoZChallenge for 2017. The Theme is ‘Awakening of Self’ and ‘Ideas and Influence’ is our entry for letter I. The theme focuses on character traits that will gear us towards Meaningful Living and will run for 26 days in April except sundays. Please stop by the blog everyday for subsequent posts as we read the 26 letters of the alphabet together. Enjoy!!☺☺

Have you ever wondered why you have a favourite public speaker, talk show host or musician?

Have you noticed how you tend to pick up habits from them after watching them perform or speak for a long time.

Michael Jackson had dance steps that were peculiar to him and anyone who is/was an ardent follower must know how to do the moonwalk or at least must have tried the famous spin.

If you love to watch Wendy, then somehow you inculcate the signature ‘how you doing’ hand gestures while chatting with friends.

In very simple words, that is how successful people sell their ideas and influence us.

To be described as successful, one must have the ability to make other people listen and do their bidding consciously or otherwise.

“The people that you have around you are your biggest influence” – RJ Mitte

It is great to have ideas but for these ideas to come to light, you must be able to persuade others to support you in achieving your desired goal.

If we are going to have a meaningful life, we must have a certain level of influence on others. We should be able to affect others by our behaviour or opinions.

Now, do you influence others?

Do people like to listen when you talk?

We do not have to be as popular as Michael Jackson to be influential. 

In our little corner, there are people who listen to us when we speak, emulate our lifestyle and look up to us for direction.

A mother who successfully gets her picky toddler to eat his veggies by creatively telling a story has influenced the child..Yes?

When your siblings like to ask for your opinion before making a decision, then you have a certain level of influence on them.

If that is not part of living a meaningful life, I don’t what else is….(Ok I do know.. but it is a great feeling to be able to sell your ideas and get a positive response).

We are in a period where everybody has an opinion, therefore you need to have made an impact before anyone (your family or non- family members) can ‘really’ listen to you. You need to have certain qualities before you can be influential.

• You must know your onions

It is not just enough to have lots of ideas to share, you need to be experienced and very knowledgeable about  the ideas you intend to sell to others. The world is evolving, be up-to-date, develop your skill, give examples from personal experience, tell stories to hold attention, support your opinion with facts, be able to negotiate.

• Be broad-minded

You need to be willing to accept other people’s opinion and understand their view on issues. Listen more and do not enforce your opinion on others. People like to know that they can talk freely with someone who is not judgmental and can listen. You should be able to find a balance between your opinion and that of others.

• Relate with like minds

As much as the aim is to be able to influence others, you also need to be motivated to achieve your goals. Stay around people with great ideas like yourself, learn from them, attend seminars that broadens your scope, make useful connections, be outgoing, speak up and ask questions in a gathering. This is good for you and your personal growth.

• Project your brand

This is more like practice what you preach. Be out there. If you like to speak publicly then volunteer to host a show, if you like to sing then be a back up singer for a start. If you want your kids you eat their veggies, eat yours infront of them. Communicate all the time (verbal and non-verbal), let people know what you enjoy doing and do it with confidence. Portray the image you want to be known for. Be the ‘Go to’ person for anything you enjoy doing.

• A little controversy is fine just to shake things up.

The essence is not to cause trouble but to know when to remain grounded. You must know how to make decisions and be firm about your choices. This is important because you cannot always be in agreement with others. Be sure to manage your expectations and that of others. Reprimand others when you have to and criticise constructively.

Everyone who has some kind of influence have had to work hard and go through several experiences. Learn from your experiences, work hard, keep the lessons and share them when you are in a position to.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please share your thoughts in the comment section.

In what capacity have you been able to influence others?

How do you feel when people listen to you?

Love, Peace and Cupcakes

Phaytea😚😚😚