Who are the biggest influences in your life?

Influence is a valuable commodity. To not overtly control someone, but rather steer them in a way that results in a positive impact within their life, without the influencer garnering any advantage nor expecting anything in return because of their actions. In other words, being selfless simply to benefit someone else.

With that thought in mind, there are so many who have influenced me over my life and to whom I am eternally grateful for their thoughts, love and guidance that it would be hard to list them all in one simple blog post. Instead, I’ve narrowed them down to handful that I share with you now.

MY PARENTS

The adult I am today is mostly due to the nurture side of the “nature vs. nurture” dichotomy. My parents were two people who were true soulmates, and although I was the last of 7 children, my mom and dad were as influential in my life as they were to my oldest sister’s. There was never any question that I mattered to them, but I also knew there were definite boundaries I could never cross. It was kind of like being thrown into a stormy dark sea, knowing my parents would guide me safely to shore when I needed them like the beam of a lighthouse breaks up the darkness. I only wish looking back I’d had them for a longer period of time.

MY FRIENDS

Like every other person in the world, there comes a time where suddenly your friends and their opinions mean everything to you, and your parents simply are just not as cool as they once were. Whether it’s music, sports, relationships or TV, you are completely influenced by the company you keep, and not always for the better.

MY FAITH

I must confess I’ve never read the Bible cover-to-cover, as simply reading a chapter can be super confusing to understand, even with the contemporary versions available to make it easier. Nevertheless, I believe and make every attempt to live my life as God intended, knowing I’ll fall far short of the glory of God. I’m just thankful that I’m forgiven.

MY COLLEAGUES & CLIENTS

Considering I spend 8 hours a day working, 5 days a week for 52 weeks (or 2,080 hours) a year, how could I not be influenced by those I work with and work for? I’m fortunate that in both cases, I have great connections within both my employer and my amazing clients that I connect with every day. They give me ideas, challenges, examples, friendly competition, and help me deal with those times when I experience failure (thankfully not often), and I’m blessed to be able to call them friends.

So, who would I consider my biggest influence in my life today?

MY SPOUSE

Many Christmases ago, I found an inexpensive gift for my wife. A designer of ornaments and porcelain angels, Margaret Furlong created a line of delicate seashell ornaments that year for the holiday, and as I was browsing the aisles of whatever store I was in, the small seashell caught my eye. After purchasing it and heading out the door into soft snow falling, I began to consider how to make this ordinary ornament an extraordinary gift for the one I loved.

Contemplating what the shell could mean metaphorically, I envisioned it representing my own life, as I’d recently lost my father due to a heart attack and felt unmoored for lack of a better word. To me, I felt like a shell that had been washed up after a storm, chipped, worn and definitely not in the best of shape.

Along came this dark-haired girl walking on that same beach, beautiful dark eyes peeled looking for just the right seashell to have and hold. There were a great number of shells lining the shore, some smooth, some rough, some opaque, and some as soft as down. She walked along the shore, picking up and examining a number of the shells before dropping them back to the sand.

Eventually, she came upon the less than stellar-looking seashell, cracked and nearly buried in the sand. Leaning down, she freed the shell from the packed sand holding it in place, dusting it off with her hand and slipping it into her pocket before turning to head for home.

Once inside, she rinsed and polished the shell until it sparkled when light hit it. She’d basically rescued the seashell and saw more in that shell than what initially seemed to be…just like my wife saw more in me than I knew myself back in those dark days.

Her love is unconditional, and I would be lost without her in my life. She’s so much more than beautiful. She’s selfless, smart, funny, and is of course the number one influence in my life.

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WHO INFLUENCES YOU MOST?

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