Power Of Personal Influence

(Adapted from “The Majesty of Calmness” by William Geo. Jourdan 1900)

Martha Immel gives the following article to her students and wishes to share it with you.

The only responsibility you cannot evade in this life is the one you probably think of least–your personal influence. Every moment of life you are changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world.

Every man and woman has an “atmosphere” which is affecting others. So silently and invisibly does this atmosphere work, we may forget at times it exists. Yet all the great forces of nature–light, heat, electricity, gravitation–are silent and invisible. In all nature, the wonders of the “seen” are dwarfed into insignificance when compared to the majesty and glory of the “unseen.”

Into your hands is given a marvelous power . . . the silent, unseen influence of your life, the constant radiation of what you project to others. By mere living, you radiate any of a thousand qualities: trust or distrust, cheer or gloom, cynicism or happiness. Your life is a constant state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate and be the recipient of the radiations of others.

There are men and women who float down the stream of life like icebergs–cold, reserved, unapproachable, and self-contained. These refrigerated human beings have a most depressing influence on many who fall under their spell of radiated chillness.

But there are other natures–warm, helpful, genial–who are like the gulf stream following their own course, flowing undaunted and undismayed into the ocean of colder water bringing with them warmth and life and light, the joyous stimulating breath of spring.

You can’t evoke for one second this radiation of your character–this constant effect on others. You can’t evade it by saying it’s an unconscious influence. It’s not. You choose the qualities you allow to be radiated. You can choose to cultivate calm and trust and generosity and justice and loyalty and honesty and love, make these vitally active in your character, and by so doing, constantly affect the world.

To make your influence felt of course, you must live with integrity. It’s useless for you to teach your children gentleness and truthfulness when you yourself are usually cross, when you yourself tell lies.

Never be content to merely influence others with your radiation. Seek to be an inspiration, bringing out the best in others by radiating the best in yourself!

– Martha Immel
Baywood Park, CA