Influencing People

Any lasting influence on ones action must come from within. You could be the best role model in the world and have little to no effect on people if they choose to ignore you. Role models work when people are inspired from within to be and act like the role model. Faith works when people themselves decide what they believe in. Blogs work when people want to read the content.

Sure, you can manipulate your child to make their bed, easy. Enough nagging will eventually work. But has the child embraced that action? Will the child happily make his or her bed every day for the rest of their life? No, you'll probably have to manipulate them to do it again the next day.

Trying to force change, or "the way things should be done", is destructive. Usually, it pushes people in the opposite direction. To have lasting influence over peoples' behaviour or thought patterns, the decision (their decision) - to change or commit* - has to come from within them. That's when it's most effective. That's when things will happen. That's when influence lasts.

*or follow, buy, read, listen, watch, do...the list goes on.