Wednesday, June 27, 2007
@1:10 AM
It has been ages since I last posted, but something I learnt today from an anointed man of God just had to be put into the pages of history (okay, of my blog at least).
It has always been my belief and mindset that to be someone of influence, to be the SALT and LIGHT essentially means to be the leader in every aspect of life. Furthermore, the D person in me connects very well to this fact, and I'm sure all D people feels the same way as me, that the only road to influence has its roots in being up there. Recently, a new idea put forth by the above-mentioned anointed man brought this is to me and challenged my beliefs. He said "To be the light of your
kosmos (world) means having the ability to influence the attitudes, beliefs and philosophies of the social order around you, DESPITE your rank and position." Something in my spirit jumped at that statement, but the more I thought of it, the more relevance and truth it brought.
Have been talking alot about success to my members and colleagues, and I'm not surprised that they too have been conditioned to think that top notch is the only way. Yes it may be that leadership provides much potential and opportunities to influence, but how more POWERFUL and IMPACTFUL would it be a testimony to know that rank-wise, we may not be granted room to influence, yet we surpass the rank factor and expand our tent of influence because we are personable, relational people? Won't it be a breakthru to not take the tried-and-tested way of succeeding with positional influence, but instead to make it higher by taking the road not taken?
Think about it: what draws your peers to you? Is it your position, OR is it your personality and your personal qualities that have been made known to them through the relationships you share?Questions to ponder over:
1) What is it in the people you follow that draw you to them? What personal attributes attract you to want to follow? Have you noticed these qualities by distant observation or by working with that person?
2) How did they come to that position to be able to influence you? Were you the pursuer, the one to press in; or did they come to you?
3) Does it matter that these people are not the TOP of their field?
My answers to these questions brought a revelation to me. Listening to the answers of my fellow leaders confirmed the way humans work further.
For myself and those around me, most would resound the fact that the people that influence them the most have qualities which have been noticed through working together and sharing a relationship. Many times, we come to realise that the greatest people of influence, the people who have been given access to speak into the lives of others are those who are most available and personable, not those who hold titles in life. When it came to question 3), it hit me that those who most impacted my life are the leaders in my life and my parents, not Bill Gates and all in its essense.
We need to be careful never to get lost at trying to climb up the ladder and heading UPwards and miss the crux of what it means to be light. In fact, the only reason why people listen to you lies in the influence you have over their lives, which stems from the basis of relationships. Jesus Himself was the ultimate example. Think about it: He was at His most influential and impacting the lives of people around Him when He was simply plain Joe carpenter!
How then did our Jesus become an influencer of many? The answer could be found in the actions He took, in how He simply became a C person, someone who was a problem solver, someone who could sit down and draw up the overcomer plan for the lost. If you then, can solve a problem in someone's life, their life will be OPEN to you, and that is the key to relationships.
Today, let's think about how our lives can be lived out significantly. How can you be the salt and light? Have we become too conditioned to think that the higher you are, the greater your light? What do you really want in YOUR life for the long run?