A Quick Sunday Read and a bit about Influence
A Quick Sunday Read and a bit about Influence
A newsletter to tickle your thoughts and your words
Hello Friend!
I woke with a gleeful thought this morning: I get to write today. It’s a giddy feeling, one I don’t acknowledge enough. I repeated the thought aloud to my cat.
“I get to write today.”
She went back to sleep. I didn’t. Still giddy.
What makes you giddy when you get out of bed to start your day?
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
A Quick Word - Words have power. Use them well.
This week's word: Influence
There’s much in the zeitgeist about influencers and the sway and impact they hold. On social media, in entertainment, on Wall Street, Madison Avenue, in our communities, and politics. It’s a lot.
Influence. What a malleable word.
You can’t get through a day without being touched in some way by a myriad of influences.
"Never mistake the power of influence."— Jim Rohn
Influence as a noun means "the capacity to affect the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself." Or "the power to shape policy or ensure favorable treatment from someone, especially through status, contacts, or wealth." Or “a person or thing with the capacity or power to have an effect on someone or something.” As a verb, it means “shape or influence; give direction to.” Or, cautiously, “induce into action by using one's charm.”
Affect. Effect. Determine. Mold. Impact. Regulate. Shape. Persuade.
"We never know which lives we influence. Or when. Or why.” — Stephen King
Ultimately, we have the power over who or what influences us.
And at the same time, we carry some responsibility for how our words and actions influence others.
It’s a blessing when someone tells you that you’ve had a positive impact or influence on their life.
"Nothing that occured in your past has influence over you except for the influence you allow it to have."—Brian Tracy
Yes, we’re influenced by our past experiences. Until we decide not to be.
We are influenced by our belief systems. By our values, our integrity, and feelings of alignment and misalignment.
What beliefs influence how you’re influenced?
"The first and toughest person you influence is yourself."— Chris Richardson
When I break down influence, I focus on who has had profound influences in my life. Encouragement. Truthsayers. Kind souls. Friends and family. Life’s teachers and mentors. Those who influence using love, understanding, and hope.
Then, there are the negative influencers. Take notice. Do they influence using fear and doom? In awareness, they are teachers too. Life lessons. Instructive for raising boundaries or distancing yourself from the doom and naysayers.
Who are some of your most profound influencers and teachers?
"No one or thing can influence you without your permission."— Me
Take some time this week and notice how you’re influencing and how you’re being influenced. Something to think about.
Journal Prompt
Prompt: Rif on the notion of Influence. What influences you? Record a time when you were effectively influenced. How do you influence others?
A New Offering
There is such deep truth here. Stop for a moment and take in these thoughts:
Can you think of a story you’ve told yourself, and are still telling yourself, that doesn’t feel good? Perhaps it’s something you heard long ago, something someone else said, that you’ve now adopted as a belief.
Or, perhaps there’s something that is holding you back, but you’re not sure what.
Please join the wonderful Maria Mahboubi (somatic healer and body shaman) and me (creative coach and word shaman) for a two-session interactive work(play)shop to discover the profound relationship between language and the body, uncovering how the words we choose (and hear) shape our physical and emotional well-being.
Your body holds onto your stories, your words, and more importantly, the feelings and fears attached to those words.
With interactive lessons for your mind, body, and soul, you'll learn how to disconnect from the stories you've told yourself or heard about yourself and reconnect and care for the incredible person you are inside.
This is powerful work.
Learn more here and come play with you:
Join us for WordPower on June 8th and 9th for two 2-hour sessions of exploration and healing. And, transformation!
A Quick Share
Here are a few things I thought worth sharing this week:
A quote I’m pondering: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” ―Desmond Tutu. To my way of thinking, this is legacy in motion.
Great interview with
and about short stories and flash fiction, and good writing in general. I was exploring the concept of flash fiction in a creative jam session with a client last week and this gives me motivation. Give it a listen!Do you have compounding to-do lists? I know I do. So much so that the most prioritized things can sometimes be buried in the minutiae of the growing (GROWING) list of to-dos. So, I created a WEEK OF THINGS-ONE THING To-Do List that allows you to grab everything you need/want to do during the week, while also focusing on the ONE THING that must get done each day. I’m loving and have shared with others who are too. I’ll probably share this in a post at some point as I discover more, but here it is for you to play with.
Print out a bunch. Hope you find it useful. Let me know what you think!
And, this from Mary Oliver’s book “Upstream.” I cracked open the book and my eyes landed on: “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” This strikes me as a directive that can lead to an intentional purpose-driven focus or if the attention goes astray it can lead to a cautionary tale. It causes me to be evermore mindful of my attention.
A Creative Quest
What do you want to create?
Perhaps a Creative Jam Session is the key to opening the portal to your highest imagination.
Now's the time for your Projects, Passion, and Purpose™! Book a year of creativity with me and you'll be amazed at what you accomplish.
You can also bring me on as a writer. Need help with a story, treatment, screenplay, bio, website, outline, newsletter, or profile? I’m your ghost. :)
Email me to chat about it. cindy@cindyyantis.com.
I hope you have a great week filled with positive, heart-opening influences. And, kindness.
Keep creating, abundantly,
