The Power of Influence

Hello,

Today I want to talk about the power of influence. We can set children up for success through influencing them, or allowing them to have access to people who will influence them. I have read a few articles about this the day this thought came to me and I must say, I very much agree with them. Others use the term role model to explain this point. But whichever way you look at it, role model or influencer, I strongly believe that, we are capable of achieving a lot in life because of the examples we see which one way or the other work as a living testimony to us. 

From my personal experience, I used to think getting the first division in A levels is impossible for me because I always thought "they" the super smart, very serious genius people, are the only ones who can get division one. I used to think that getting selected to go to a government school for High School is for the genius folks, until one day, a friend who was a few years older than me passed her form four exams and was selected to a government school. You see, before that, it felt like it was a blessing for the genius, and usually, if you don't hang around the group of people who get straight A's in school, then you don't think you are capable of being an A student. Seeing that a person who was so close to me, did so well in school and was able to go to a government school for her High School, it gave me hope. She influenced me. And by God's grace I did well in my form four exams and was selected to got a government school for my A Level. I wasn't able to go to that school because of health issues that I had at the time, but the minute that dream became a reality, my mind was unstoppable. 

To make things even better, the same girl passed her A levels with division one, and she said it wasn't so hard, and that I could do it too. And so I did. I became "the people" I used to look at and think their minds were wired differently, but truth be told, it all took seeing someone do it, someone close enough that it took away that "they" mentality and transformed it into a "we" mentality. I was encouraged and I believed anything was possible. Then one fine day, a neighbor whom I call aunt told my mother about a fully funded scholarship program for undergraduate programs. Boy oh boy, no one close to me had a scholarship, that sounded like a "they" opportunity. Now mind you, even with a division one in my pocket, it still didn't seem possible, not because I wasn't "smart" enough for the scholarship, but I had never seen anyone close to me get a scholarship so I didn't believe I would be selected, until I did. 

Ever since that scholarship opportunity, I told myself that I'll get a scholarship to do my Master's degree as well. Now you see, me being able to get the scholarship for a bachelor's degree, influenced me and gave me the confidence to apply for a scholarship for a Master's degree. 

One day at one of my former jobs, I came across these ladies who were my age, and some younger, who had positions in the Parliament of our Country. Before meeting them face to face, I always thought "they" were different from me. But the day I came face to face with them, interacted with them and got to know some of them, then the light bulb went on again, the "we" mentality kicked in. We are not so different after all, if they did it, so can I. I am not in the Parliament nor holding any government position but I realized that, before meeting those Members of the Parliament, they were not my role model per se, but after meeting them, I was influenced and encouraged to believe that even I stand a chance to be like them. Before my friend got selected to a government school, or before she got a division one, I didn't think it was anywhere close to my lane, until she did it then I was influenced and encouraged to study hard and achieve what she achieved. Before getting my first scholarship, I thought it was a privilege for certain group of people, until I got a scholarship and was influenced and encouraged to apply for yet another scholarship. 

I am writing this to encourage those who were on "they" mentality, to look out for role models or influencers around them. Sometimes, you might just be your own influencer. That feeling of knowing you once got straight As, what's holding you back from getting them next semester, and the one after that? What's holding you from getting a job that pays you $70k+ yearly if you've once been able to get that much? We are mostly limited by our own mind because we don't know its possible until we do it, or until we see someone close to us do it. It's good to have far and distant role models like famous celebrities and other public figures, but there is power in having a role model or influencer who is close to you, someone you can have access to, someone you can speak to, someone you can have interaction with. Our minds can't make excuses for people we are close to, but it can make excuses for people who are far away. Be exposed, be influenced.