Whose Influence Are You Under?

We live in a time of influencers.

Influencer: a term that originated in the world of social media. According to the Urban Dictionary, an influencer may be described as, "Someone with a lack of intelligence and a lot of free time, followed by tons of idiots on some social networking site, usually Instagram."

That about describes it.

Basically, an influencer is anyone who influences you to think, feel, or do something—and in the case of social media, BUY something. Influencers are paid to promote products to their followers who, in turn, are supposed to drive sales.

Hip? Hype? Both? Pretty much. However, some product brands have seen a significant lift in sales, such as Australian SkinnyMe Tea which generated $600,000 per month after using influencers on Instagram.

So, great. As long as the tea is delicious. But if it's not, you might've been influenced—even?manipulated—contributing to a digital dystopia.

In addition to what we're paying attention to online, we're also heavily influenced by the "company we keep"—infamous proverbial instructions from many parents.?Friends, family, coworkers, bosses, neighbors—they're all?influencers.

But there's somebody you might've forgotten that is the?one biggest influencer?in your life. YOU.

Because YOU are with yourself every day, every hour, every minute. And YOU are the only one in the driver's seat of your life.

Everything you're paying attention to—what you see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and sense—you absorb?and process. Think of yourself as a big sponge. And as you process all of this?sensory data, you make assumptions, conclusions, and decisions.

And those decisions influence your behavior; and, resultingly, your experience.

When you are paying attention to those things that please you (what you want), how do you feel? How about those things that don't please you (what you don't want)? How do these differences affect you?

By paying attention to what you pay attention to, you?influence?your own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

That is how powerful you are.

So the questions become: Whose influence are you under? That of others or your own inner guidance? And when it comes from you, do you trust it?

Learning to trust our own?nudges—our intuition—is a start. Try it and see.

Be Well,

Michael Thomas Sunnarborg

P.S. Need help tapping into your inner guidance? Book a free call with me at?connect.michaelcreative.com?and I'll give you a boost!