The Power You Can Not Buy Page 2
Author: Byron Pulsifer, © 2011
. . . . . . and as was the usual practice of asking for feedback on a feedback form, and after all participants had left the seminar room, I started to look through the evaluations paying particular attention to find the form submitted by one of the attendees who had seemingly demonstrated less attentiveness than the rest of the participants, and one who constantly challenged me on almost every point I made. And, to my disappointment, in this case, there was no form. At the very least, I was expecting negative comments or something even more pointed. I left the seminar room that day thinking that I had failed this person – thinking that I hadn’t done enough to get through, or my seminar had no positive impact at all.
As I went about my business and preparation for the next seminar over the next two weeks, one day I received a phone call – I had no caller ID so I never knew who was calling me or for what reason. When I answered the phone, a somewhat familiar voice resonated in my memory – I couldn’t quite place the voice but I knew I had heard it recently. To my surprise, the caller identified himself by name after a few moments as the person who had not submitted their evaluation form. As soon as I heard the name, I was prepared for a verbal harangue or even a request for a total refund.
What I heard from him, though, was something I was unprepared for. He took his time to explain that he didn’t want to talk with me at the end of the seminar because he was so unused to being affected the way he was – that is, in a very positive way. He went on to tell me how much the seminar hand meant to him, how much it had already helped him change his ways, and how much more comfortable he was with himself now that he knew how to overcome his own personal barriers to success both personally and professionally. Wow, was I surprised – and glad all at the same time.
The Point Is This
We all have personal power to affect the behaviors of others and this is the power you can’t buy, beg or steal.
It is the power in your words and actions to influence others but this power can also be negative if you use it wrongly or improperly.
It is the power to give respect to a homeless person on the street by acknowledging that you see them by saying a simple hello; it is the power to influence some one to keep moving forward with a difficult task because you believe in them and tell them that; it is the power to comfort those who have lost a loved one because you know the value of love; and it is the power to speak out for those who can’t speak out for themselves.
Power – you all have it – use it wisely because you never know what impact you have on other people even when you think otherwise.
Inspirational Quotes for Reflection:
“It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people’s lives.” Clint Eastwood
“As a great man’s influence never ends, so also there is not definite finality, no end, to a great survey; it runs along for centuries, ever responsive to the strain of the increasing needs of a growing population and an enlarging domain.” Cleveland Abbe
“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.” Stephen King
“Power last ten years; influence not more than a hundred.” Korean Proverb
“The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future. It is they who shape and enrich the minds of the young, who touch their hearts and souls. It is they who shape a nation’s future.” F. Sionil Jose
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