Impact Vs. Influence

Most recently, Gary Vaynerchuk is someone who in the last year or so has caused an impact in my life. This guy is constantly hustling, moving, and loving the process. He is constantly talking about the importance of owning your limitations and working as hard as you can, aka working your face off.

To be clear, I have never met Martin Luther King Jr. or Gary Vaynerchuk, and yet the impact they have had in my life is real.

Let me first say, influence can be either good or bad. My mother would always say this Spanish proverb “dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres” which when translated means “Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are”. The idea behind this proverb is that who you surround yourself with, will influence the decisions you make.

The definition of influence according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is to affect the condition or development.

I believe the people that influence your life are those who are part of your circle. Those people you most engage with.

Years ago, my wife and I had T-Mobile as our wireless provider, back when they had the MyFaves. This plan allowed you to have people you could call, without wasting your minutes. So you could talk or text any of these 5 people at any time of the year, month, week, day, or an hour and it would not affect the established minutes you had for that cycle. I know most of you may not know what I am talking about when I mention minutes on a cellphone plan, but the people who have the greater influence in your life are those people you are always in contact with; your fave-5.

Another person that has influenced my life is my pastor, who is also my father in law. I have seen this man allow himself to be broken and rebuilt by the Lord. I have seen the change in his walk, talk, and embrace. This change began before he became a pastor, but his journey in serving others has shown to be a mirror in his life, and he has strived for growth.

My mother was a woman that massively influenced my life. She was loving, caring, and would show true selflessness when it came to helping those around her. But when she passed, she took her influence with her. However, her impact remains. Those deep conversations and last moments we shared are the ones that have had a profound impact on me.

I believe that impact brings forth legacy.

It is possible to influence people and have an impact. Accomplishing this is possible when the goal is to grow. But if you are deliberately trying to have an impact, it won't work. It's like trying to deliberately hit a home run; the more you think about it, the less likely you are in doing it.

Some people will come in your life like a flower and still leave a ripple effect, still leave an impact. But its the people you engage with every day that will influence your walk.

When we look at Jesus, he influenced his disciples with his daily walk and he impacted them with the power of his word because his words and his actions were joint at the hip. He did not influence the women he found at the well, but he did cause an impact that made her change her ways. He did not influence the life of Jairus, but the words that spread from afar were making an impact. Just as any person you watch from afar could have an impact on your life. And even though Jesus went to Jairus's his house to heal his daughter, this was a deeper impact, not a moment of influence. 

This is why the betrayal of Judas hits so deep, because not only did he hear the message but he walked in direct contact with Jesus. In other words, he had the best opportunity to be both influenced by Jesus and impacted by what he was doing, yet he was closed in his ego.

It is important, that you would surround yourself with people that would nourish your vision, as those are the people that will influence your life. And as they influence you, they will also be influenced by you.