Influence
Many things influence our lives, be it people or experience.
My mother, albeit I only had her for 13 short years, had a huge influence on me.
I can still hear her saying “Because people are a different colour, doesn’t make them any less than people” or “Just because they think differently to you, doesn’t lessen the meaning of their words”
To this day I am not racist, nor do I think people of a different colour/race/creed are any less than I am.
She instilled in me the thought that a job is a job.
It doesn’t matter what you can do, it matters more what you actually do which counts.
I still believe this wholeheartedly.
My grandfather was the same.
“Maureen, you can be anything you want, if only you want it badly enough and have enough determination to make it happen”
He was right you know.
I’ve discovered I can make anything happen, if I try hard enough.
I’ve proved it time and again.
Then there are the people that influence the way you think today.
I currently have people in my life who have an enormous impact on the way I think, or in what way I think about certain things, or people.
People who can soothe, calm and ensure I see something from a different perespective on how I see something, or someone.
They present an alternative that may not occur to me initially if my hot temper has taken control of my reasoning {not an unusual happening when you have a temper like I do}
These are people that understand me almost beyond my comprehension.
Understand me almost more than I understand myself, who comprehend that now and again I don’t think clearly and/or with logic.
Who see me as I am, as opposed to the person I present.
And let’s be honest, 99.9% of the time, there is an enormous difference between the person we present publicly, and the person that is.
The people I speak of have a way about them that ensures you look deep inside yourself, and see things you would otherwise miss should you not speak to them about the things that count.
Am I the only one who has people such as this in their life?
People who make you think much of what, on the surface, seem like nothing.
Surely not?
Who had, or has, an influence on your life and why?
Can you seriously explain it?
Damned if I can.
Which is not to say that I don’t want these people in my life, don’t get me wrong.
These people are good for me in ways I didn’t even know I needed before they entered my life.
That has got to be a good thing, yes?
Categories: family, feelings
5 Comments »
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May 5th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Ahh, great quote about creating yourself. It keeps me hopeful. I think everyone is a work in progress though so maybe the personas they present are their idea of what they aspire to be. I dunno. The people who influence me are the ones who I see DOING the things that I admire – the ones who just talk about stuff are the ones who I just let in one ear and out the other. The ones I see doing – those are the ones that make me look inside myself or that make me desire to change my ways and become more like them, because I know it is right for me.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I think we all have people like that in our lives. Sometimes they are even people who we don’t particularly like – maybe because they do make us think or look at things that don’t fit into our paradigm?
And then there are the ‘others’ the ones who seem to know you better than you know yourself, who get in your head the minute you meet them, know your heart, will persist no matter what. Those are the keepers.
Annie
May 6th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Moe, this sounds like a true blessing! You are right, we are much different in WHO we are than how we present ourselves on a day to day basis- and if you have people who KNOW YOU, know what makes you tick- and are there for you- well then, I call that a blessing. I have people like that too. I’m so grateful for it too. I don’t think everyone realized what this type of person can mean for us… that’s sad. We are the lucky ones. LUCKY!!!
PS I even have one of these people who apparently knows me better than I know myself… that does piss me off a bit, but she is so helpful at the same time. GAH!
May 7th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Life would be so much duller and less interesting without the depth and richness these people bring to our lives. Even the ones who rub us the wrong way.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Not only do we create ourselves, all of the bumps and knobs that make us “unique” are mistakes we may have made along the way.