Influence

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity." - Margaret D. Nadauld  

According to Google, Influence is: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. A while ago my roommate gave a relief society lesson on D. Todd Christofferson’s talk from General Conference titled, “The Moral of Women”. (If you've never read it, it's a good read). We were asked to think about some of the women who influence our lives and consider for a moment why they had that influence. I took the liberty of asking some of the women that influence my life what they thought influence was and if they thought they were influential. Their responses gave me some perspective. I was surprised that so many of these women knew they were influential. And it was so refreshing to hear that they believed they could make a difference in the lives of others simply by their influence. 

First I asked these women, what is Influence? Generally, it came down to the idea that someone who has influence is an example, whether positive or negative. People want to be like you and do things that you do, or people don’t want to be like you so they do the opposite things of what you do. It often comes with respect and power. But influence that lasts, doesn't generally come with power. The biggest indication of lasting influence is integrity. The definition of influence that really got me thinking was given to me by my friend Lauren. She stated, “I think to be influential means to inspire change, however big or small it might be… At its very basic level, influence makes you think, [it] makes you want or not want something. But I think true influence goes farther than that, it's the catalyst for change.” 

Now isn't that something? Influence is the catalyst for change. Doesn't that sound about right? I don't know about you, but the people who have influence in my life have all inspired me to change.

These are the faces of some of the influential women in my life. 

These are only a handful of the women who have inspired me. They are strong and beautiful women who don't have to be anyone other than their own unique selves to have influence. These are women of faith, virtue, and goodness. They have raised me and continue to do so, some of them drilled me in times tables or sports practices, some of them pushed me through nursing school and clinicals, some of them have laughed with me about life, some of them have given me advice and support, and some of them lifted me up during my trials or comforted me when I needed a friend. They have dreams and ambitions. They are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. They teach me by word and deed. They inspire me to change daily. They help shape me into the person I will become.

Since the unexpected death of my friend Ashleigh, I've had a lot of time to reflect on my life (hence the previous post and the entire month of February). What I've come to understand is that we all have influence. We all have the ability to change the world and the people in it. This world is as impressionable as playdough. You may not be able to see it, because the world is big. But your fingerprints and impressions are what make it the beautiful place that it is. Influence is in the small details of our lives. It's our attitudes. It's how we treat others. We have the sacred ability and responsibility to influence the lives of others for good. Our words and actions can lift and inspire. Our hearts beat for more than just ourselves.

I encourage you all to think about how your words and actions influence those around you (friends, family, complete strangers, etc). Try it for a day, or for an hour. You don't have to have money, a fancy car, or a big name to influence others. Consider the good you can do for this world. Consider the encouragement, the love, and the kindness you can share.