What makes people happy?
There is an ever-increasing epidemic of unhappiness in the world. There are 580,000,000 people Googling “How to be happy?”
People complain, find fault, reject, criticize, and ridicule. Often for no reason other than they have found this the best way to get attention. Or perhaps they believe this is their only option for action.
But there is another way to get attention or to find additional options. You can get others to respond to you with excitement and eagerness.
How? By using positive influence.
Let’s first start with the definition of positive psychology.
Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. It is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful lives, to nurture what is best within themselves, and to increase their experiences of love, work, and play.
Positive influence is the impact you have on another person (AND yourself) by pointing out strengths and virtues. It is how you are, what you do, and the power you have on others to value what is best within themselves. Positive influence helps a person be better today than they were yesterday.
Why is Positive Influence important?
Positive influence builds an optimistic, affirmative, and constructive participation and experience a person has in their work, family, and community – which results in a happy person!
Positive influence is important because happy people:
- Perform at a higher level
- Are more productive
- Sell more
- Find solutions more readily
- Get along better with others
- Live longer
- Reconcile conflict more quickly
- Come up with great ideas
- Are less stressed
- Give their best
- AND happy people generate happiness in others
3 Top Practices of Positive Influence
Positive influence means living your life as an example that will contribute to someone else’s success. Don’t be afraid to explore opportunities and engage in activities that keep you stretched beyond your comfort zones.
Here are the top 3 ways you can instantly and positively influence other people, including yourself.
- Inspire change. Point out how people can use a particular strength to build up a weakness. For example, a person may exhibit a strong tendency to take risks that are well thought-out and productive. They can use this strength to build up a weakness, such as fear of commitment. Commitment (weakness) can come easier when they realize that thinking through what is expected of them and what exactly they can contribute (risk taking) turns making a commitment into a strength.
- Create a demand. Open the doors for people to realize that something is missing. Help people see and understand how what they have to offer will make a difference. For instance, bring to their attention a situation that demands their great communication skills, expert negotiation talent, or ability to be innovative in the midst of problems.
- Motivate a sense of purpose. Appeal to a person’s desire to get involved in their passion. Show your confidence in a person to use their talents, abilities, and skill set to fulfill their sense of purpose. People will rise to the occasion when they find what they are passionate about or see as a need to fulfill, especially on a larger scale.
Bonus Positive Influence Practice: Encourage positive influence in others. Place an expectation that once you have demonstrated positive influence that they will pay it forward. Empower others to share positive influence in their daily lives with co-workers, friends and family.
All of the above Positive Influence Practices require positive interaction. Use words in your conversations that motivate not hinder. Show interest and compassion for another person’s struggles. Create a safe place for people to experiment with what they are learning.
When you practice positive influence with others, you inspire them to realize a better future than they thought possible. You challenge them to demand more of themselves, and you encourage and motivate them to discover their sense of purpose.
_______________________________________________
Imagine what you could accomplish if you could become more influential to those around you! What would you do with that kind of power? What would you have if you could have anything?
You’re not alone in wishing you had more influence in life. An Amazon search shows there are 102,196 resultsof books with the word influence in the title. There are 823,000 global monthly searches on Google for the phrase ‘how to get what you want’. There are 165,000 searches for the phrase 'change your life'. And there are 3.3 million global monthly searches for the word 'influence'.
How do you get started becoming a more influential person? Take the Keller Influence Indicator®(or KII®, pronounced “kay-two”). This is the first influence assessment designed to help you understand the exact influence traits it takes in order to create the change you want to see. You'll learn which of these influence traits are already working hard for you, and which ones need work.
"The FIRST requirement for being an influential person is knowing yourself." ~ Dr. Karen Keller
