What Are You Reading?

What are you reading? Reading is one of the most powerful tools we have to change our lives and the direction of our careers. We are blessed in this day and age to have a ready supply of books available to help us resolve problems in our life, to give us expert advice on our careers, and to keep us motivated when our will power is starting to fade. No other generation has had the quality and volume of books so readily available to the general population.

What we read can help us improve our lives - or it can simply entertain us. If our reading focus is strictly fiction, then we will be entertained - that is the intent and end result of a good novel. I like to compare reading a novel to eating cookies. It is nice to eat cookies every now and then, but eating too many of them makes me fat. Eating cookies is not a part of my regular diet anymore. Instead, vegetables and fruits have risen significantly in value to me as I get older and my metabolism slows down.

Reading books that serve as guides to better living and a better "me" are like fruits and vegetables. They don't taste as good at first, in fact they seem boring. But the more you partake of them, the better they taste and the better you feel. 

I am not saying to completely forgo all fiction; they fulfill an important need for recreation (meaning to re-create, or re-energize). So I read fiction when I am on vacation or over a long holiday weekend. But the rest of the year is for the good stuff - the fruits and veggies of the printed world!

I have become very intentional about my reading, and I will share my selection process in a later posting. But suffice it to say, that I read on topics that I know will assist me in various aspects of my life - parenting, marriage, work, spiritual, and personal improvements. 

The first suggestion I have for someone who knows they need to make changes in their lives is to put away the fiction for a while and take up a book that will impact your life in a positive way. A good book provides vital nourishment to your soul. Dig in and feast on a good book to find the secrets to a better life that is waiting for you!

Our Circle Of Influence

Everyone has a circle of influence. There are people who are your friends, your family, your co-workers, neighbors, fellow church members, etc. who listen to your opinions. I have never yet met someone that has zero influence on others.

So the question is not if we have any influence, but what kind of influence do we have? Are we influencing people to help them better their lives and the lives of others? Or are we a negative influence, a weight that is holding people back or pulling them down?

You know the kind of person I am referring to. There are people in our lives that want to drag us back to "reality." They discourage us from dreaming of what could be. They pigeon-hole us into categories with expectations of failure based on their categorizations. I hope and pray that you aren't one of those people! Or are you? Someone is, because we all know people like that.

Do you feel compelled to point out the mistakes of others? Are you the one who is constantly "setting the record straight?" Do you enjoy playing the role of "devil's advocate?" If so, you might be a negative influencer. Is that really the type of influence you would like? If these questions hit a little too close to home, ask someone you trust and who will be honest with you if you have a tendency towards the negative side.

While the world needs the occasional devil's advocate, it shouldn't be our only role in life. It is far better to be the type of person who is a positive influence on the lives of others. This person will have no shortage of friends. This person will be sought after for advice. This person exalts in seeing others grow and succeed!

A positive influencer will help people overcome barriers instead of erecting barriers. A positive influencer will help guide others to success instead of sabotaging their efforts. A positive influencer will encourage others to reach new heights instead of raining on their parade.

Sometimes we get jealous of others who are able to influence the power brokers in our world. We wish we could have the position and the power they seem to have. Rather than being jealous of others, take a look around you. Who can you influence in a positive way? I believe that when we become a positive influence on those around us, our circle of influence will continue to enlarge. As our circle of influence grows, we might be surprised to find who is listening.