Be wary who you are influenced by
You have tens of people close to you in life and many hundreds more that you know about. You either are acquainted with them, or you know about them some way. No matter how many people, you are constantly being influenced by some of them.
Take for example something that someone you know did. If you like that action, you will want to do it yourself too. Or at least you admire it. That means that action influenced you. Take the opposite of that. If you did not like that action, then you will despise that and won’t want to do it yourself. This too means that that action influenced you.
We have no idea how many thoughts and actions of others are influencing us. We cannot possibly keep track of all of them.
But we can try to be wary of them one at a time because these influences can have a huge impact on your life in the long run. If someone who pursues material wealth influences you, you too will start chasing after shiny objects and attach your happiness to your wealth. This will set you up for discontent in the long run because neither you nor that person knows that more wealth does not guarantee more happiness after a certain point. Conversely, if someone who likes to workout and stay fit influences you, you will start to take care of your body too. This way, in the long run, you will become a fitter person through that influence.
Some influences can be great for you and some can be downright destructive. If you become aware of which ones are influencing you, then you can root out the bad ones and nourish the good ones.
But how do you know beforehand which influences are good for you and which ones are not?
There are a few ways. You have to try them out while being conscious about them. You have to be constantly on the lookout for people who have the influential power and get influenced by them. If you find that following this person feels good, you find other people similar to this person. This way you increase your circle of influence. But here comes an important step which you must take along with it: You also should be on the lookout for what the people opposing your influential person are saying about him or her and you let them influence you too. Either this person is right, or that person is right about something. When you weigh in the evidence and find that the other person is right, then you promptly change your opinions and your influence and start getting influenced by the other person. You start finding more people like that person. But here too you always try to find what the people in dissent with this person is saying about him or her.
This way, you will grow your circle of good influences while also throwing out bad influences as they come. In the long run, you will cherish you were in control of what and who influenced you.
