The Greatness of a Man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively – Bob Marley
As you read that quote from Bob Marley, think about your surroundings (i.e., your environment, relationships, acquaintances, and background). Essentially, the people around you on a day-to-day basis and those individuals who have influenced you and put you on the right path to success. What every success looks like to you.
We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing; therefore, we cannot take the wealth with us. However, the ability to affect the people around us could be where we find our purpose and the most value in life.
Now, disclaimer, I don’t believe purpose is something we find, but for this conversation, there are some people out there who are lost and need a sense of worth. They need guidance and love in which we can be that voice, ear, sounding board, shoulder to lean on, whatever! They need a push!
The ability to affect those around us positively can give us the sense that we are doing good in society. That could be something as simple as saying “good morning” or good afternoon.” “How are you doing today? Is there something I can help you with?”
I have had many conversations about people who are comfortable with where they are in life; moreover, how do we get people motivated to see their true potential. The individual has the capacity to become or develop into someone positive in the future; yet, they choose to be complacent and or stagnant (for instance, they are okay with their current circumstances).
Someone said, as much as people refuse to believe it, the company you keep does impact and influence your choices in life. Who is in your inner circle?
Above all, we cannot get people to do something they do not what to do. If an individual has made up their mind, they want to live where they want to live and do whatever they wish to do – that is on them. However, we can show empathy and perspective.
Empathy and Perspective
The ability to show people you care and love them is probably one of the most important aspects of influence in getting someone motivated. That is, the motivation to move out of their situation and become a better person.
Nevertheless, empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, to see through their eyes; that’s how it all begins. Former President of the United States Barack Obama said that empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. And, Mother Teresa said, if you judge people, you have no time to love them.
I believe Mother Teresa said it the best; the ability not to judge people is the key point.
Again, empathy helps gain perspective and allows us to communicate our ideas in a way that makes sense to others, and it helps us understand others when they communicate to us.
Yet, if people believe you are judging them, they will be defensive because they think you are laughing at them, and you’re not.
The ability to show people you genuinely care is about listening and finding out what their goals are?
What are their goals? Goal setting is probably one of the most critical aspects in moving forward in life and finding yours and their true potential.
In the end, I never worried about what people said about me because –
- Most it was true; (I evaluated the positive and negative in order to grow into that good person)
- I always set high goals for myself (the goal, along with the vision of achieving that goals was all I needed in the moment and for the future).
Overall, notice that affecting people in a positive way can be as simple as loving them, listening, caring, and showing empathy and perspective.