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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, it has now been over a week since I last saw Bernard the bumblebee, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share stories of influence.
Did you hear the news? On Friday, Golden Spiral Media announced 9 new podcasts! Technically 2 of them are already going, but since those 2 podcasts are about TV shows that air this fall,they were included in the 9. Here they are:
Arrow Squad-A podcast dedicated to Arrow on The CW
Beyond Storybrooke- A podcast dedicated to Once Upon a Time on ABC
The Blacklist Exposed- A podcast dedicated to The Blacklist on NBC
Central City Underground- A podcast dedicated to The Flash on The CW
Don’t Blink- A podcast dedicated to Doctor Who on BBC
Gotham Podcast (working title)- A podcast dedicated to Gotham on FOX
Gracepoint Podcast- A podcast dedicated to Gracepoint on FOX
Person of Interest Podcast- A podcast dedicated to Person of Interest on CBS
The Sandbox- A podcast dedicated to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC
If that’s not enough podcast goodness for you, stay tuned. We’re not done yet!
Friday Forum
I want you to be a part of the Friday Forum! Friday Forum is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU. It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long. It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others. You can participate in Friday Forum by visiting our Feedback Page or calling our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278.
What I Learned Yesterday:
Do you consider yourself an influential person? Think about it for a moment. It’s not a trick question. Do you consider yourself an influential person?
I believe wholeheartedly that there is only one answer to this question and that answer is yes. We are all people of influence. Let me give you a few examples.
Last night my son and I were out for our evening stroll. It was getting dark and the sun was already out of view. As it sank below the horizon it painted the sky with beautiful shades of pink, orange, purple, and gray. Colby and I walked along the sidewalk and talked about how beautiful it was. He told me that he thought it looked like a forest with a fire lighting up the back side of it. A moment later the sun was gone. We made the turn back toward our house and he said, “Dad, I really like going on these walks with you. I like spending any time I can with you.” Guess what? I’m influencing him.
Here’s another example.
There’s a man at my church that is the happiest person I know. He’s not rich nor does he have many worldly possessions. He hasn’t had an easy life. He works hard at a job that most people wouldn’t enjoy. He does. Every time I see him at his job he is the same person that I see every single time I see him. He’s smiling, handing out hugs, offering encouraging words, and making the space around him a brighter place.
He’s suffered deep tragedy in his life. The most recent happened earlier this summer when he lost his son. His son was in his 40’s. Way too young to die. One day at Bible study he commented about the loss of his son. He said that he didn’t feel robbed at all and he wasn’t angry at God. He said that he got to spend over 40 years with his son and that was more than other people got. He said that we all have an appointed time to die, and his son’s day came. Don’t get me wrong, he was saddened by it. In fact, that moment was the only time I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face.
But every time I see him, every time I have a conversation with him, I’m inspired. His positive attitude is contagious. It influences me in a very positive way.
There’s another person I know and she’s not a positive person. In fact, she worries about everything. If someone doesn’t call her, she thinks they must not like her anymore. When I talk to her, she almost always has a story about how she’s convinced that someone in her family or someone at her church is mad at her. She complains a lot and she starts a lot of conversations with, “don’t tell so and so I’m telling you this.”
Guess what? She’s influencing me too. Not in a good way either. I don’t feel influenced to start being negative after I’m around her, but I’m drained after I’m around her. The negativity wipes me out. She sees the word as a sad and dreary place and that has an influence on me. It makes me want to be around her less and in that way, she becomes her own self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here’s one more story. There’s a friend of mine named Cliff. You may have heard of him. He’s the Podcast Answer Man. He started podcasting about the TV show Lost in 2006. I got in to podcast because of his influence. Cliff is now a life coach and consultant. He’s taught more people how to podcast than any other person.
Cliff is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. His enthusiasm, his love for people, his passion for life is contagious. It’s a big part of why he has been so influential and successful.
Last week at podcast movement Cliff was asked to give the closing keynote. It was truly inspiring. I highly encourage you to listen to it. It’s about 50 minutes long and you can find it on his website. Go to www.goldenspiralmedia.com/cliff to be redirected right to it.
I think it was before Cliff took the stage, but at one point the audience was asked to stand if Cliff had influenced them. There was a crowd of 500 or more people and nearly everyone stood up. Cliff has had major influence.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
Influence is not measured by the number of people that it reaches. I mean, yes in a way it is, but that’s only one way of looking at it.
Look at it this way. If I only ever influence my son, am I less influential than Cliff? How do you think my son would answer that question?
Are we all called to be like Cliff and have influence on thousands of people? No.
Some of us are called to work average everyday jobs and have average lives. Within those average jobs we get to interact with average people where great opportunity awaits. You see, average is just a label that we put on things because we like to compare things. Those things are often the things that don’t matter.
What matters is people. We are all influencers and we can influence in a positive way or a negative way.
So I ask you again. Do you consider yourself an influential person? Are you influencing in a positive way, or negative way? Let me encourage you to consider the things around you, and find the good. Focus on that. Find strength in that. Allow that to lift your spirit and use it to lift the spirits of those around you.
This world can be a dark place. But let’s not let it defeat us. Be a change agent for good. Be a person of positive influence. You never know whose life you just might change for the better.
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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