Fast Company Asks- “How Influential Are You?”

How influential are you? Just asking that question makes many people cringe with negative connotations of the meaning of the word “influential”. If we go a bit deeper, the dictionary defines, “influential” as one who exerts or possesses influence. “Influence” is defined as the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command or, the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.

In some way, if you’re reading this blog, you may have been influenced by the content we provide each day on InspireMeToday.com. (Hopefully in a very good way!)

We’ve all had personal experiences where we were influenced by another and where we’ve influenced others.

Like many things in life, influence by and of itself is neither a good or bad thing. The important thing is the intention. If you’re using influence to sell someone a car that they can’t afford, that’s probably not a good thing. If you’re using influence to inspire people to reach out and serve one another, that’s most likely a positive thing.

Influence, like many other things, is primarily determined by the person wielding the influence. Influence is nothing more than a tool and we get to choose how to use it. With the privilege of influence also comes responsibility.

Which begs the question, “If you had great influence in the world, what would then be possible for you?” Would you go into sales and make millions? Would you raise money for charity or change public policy? How would you serve the greater good?

The reason this blog topic came up is due to the Fast Company Influence Project. This is a contest to measure our “influence”, or in this case, our reach in social media. Anyone can join by registering on the Fast Company website, then inviting their friends and associates to click on the link, sign up and pass it on again. The contest tracks how deep our connections go. It’s a trackable version of the six degrees of separation where you can see that the 50 people that you got to click on your link, each got another 50 to click on theirs, who each got another 50 to click on theirs… and so on. Pretty soon, you’ve reached millions of people. As your influence grows, so does the size of your photo.

I’m participating in the FastCompany Influence Project and would greatly appreciate your support. I’m humbly asking you to please take 30 seconds to click on this link to help me track our influence.

You might be wonder why we are participating in this contest. We believe that with great influence you have a better chance of achieving great things. As we reach out daily through InspireMeToday.com and plan our upcoming Global Hug Tour, the simple fact is the more people we can reach, the more good we can do in the world. Influence allow us to create positive change.

Some have suggested this contest is just an egotistical, popularity contest. Again, it depends how you look at it, and how you choose to use the tool. If we were using the influence that we might gain for self-serving reasons, maybe. We have a bigger task at hand.

For the past two years we’ve been providing FREE inspiration to you each day. We’ve often been asked, “How can I thank you for the great, free inspiration that makes such a difference in my life?”…….. and here’s the answer. It’s easy and won’t cost you a dime. We need your help:

1) Vote for InspireMeToday in the FastCompany Influence Project and share this link with your contacts. If everyone who reads this passes this on to their list, we truly can reach the world. (Here’s the link if you want to cut and paste- http://fcinf.com/v/ay8e)

2) Follow @InspireMeToday and @GlobalHugTour on Twitter

3) Join our FaceBook “Like” Page for InspireMeToday and TheGlobalHugTour

4) Sign up to receive FREE daily inspiration from InspireMeToday.com by email, through the RSS feed or on your iPhone.

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance in helping us inspire the world. As Margaret Mead once said, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” We welcome you to join our small group and together, make a BIG difference.