Influencing others

I was watching a commercial where a young lady offers to buy another person a coffee. In the commercial the lady buying the coffee says that the person she is buying a coffee is a “work friend”, but the other person says, “I am your best friend.” Many of us have work friends and other friends and we draw a distinction between them but not as rudely as the person does in the commercial. That commercial is a commentary on how we view people and friendship. It also speaks to how we see ourselves and how we see our influence on the world.

As we move through life, our sphere of influence ebbs and flows and sometimes we have many people we influence and sometimes we have only a few. When we are young, one of the goals is to have as many friends as you can. Your popularity, for some people, is their worth and it is measured in friend count. As we mature, we realize that we do not need as many friends, but what we want and need are true and close friends. These friends are harder to find, but once they have been found, they are worth keeping.

You may think that you are completely insignificant in this world. But someone drinks coffee from the favourite cup you gave them. Someone hard a song on the radio that reminded them of you. Someone read a book you recommended and plunged headfirst into it.

Someone smiled after a hard day’s work because they remembered the joke you told them today. Someone loves themselves a little bit more because you gave them a compliment.

Never think that you have no influence of any kind. Your trace, which you leave behind with every good deed cannot be erased.