Who Influences You

Nothing that occurred in your past can have any influence over you accept the influence you allow it to have. As much as we like to think we are independent, we follow the habits of someone’s influence over us. Its frightful that people who are so ignorant should have so much to influence.

Influencers realise their capabilities to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something. Our minds need to choose carefully the coaches, trainers, mentors or simply our associations under whose influence we are adopting changes upon ourselves.

Allowing others easy access to influence seems trending, hence we are influenced to what fashions to wear, how to spend our free time, what food to eat etc. Slowdown because you need to consider are you being influenced or manipulated. Iinfluence is the ability to affect someone else's behavior because of authority, knowledge or relationship with that person. Manipulation is the power to influence someone else to your advantage and it is often done without the other person's knowledge and with a dishonest, underhand nature to it. A good influencer (teacher) affects eternity:- one can never tell the long company it keeps, but one needs to be lucky to find the good ones.

We all have the option of our Divine Influencer, but shy away for the discipline it takes to follow HIM. HIS way of living is to feel a higher sense of purpose, peace, hope, and meaning. HE brings an awareness of oneness, better confidence, self-esteem, self-control, an accountability of our daily actions making sense of our experiences in life. When in failure or unwell HIS influence helps feel inner strength and results in faster recovery.

Gurbani cautions our actions under the influence of 3 qualities of maya (saatav, raajas, taamas) producing hope, anxiety and clarifies without the Guru how can anyone be released from these three qualities.

“bikhi-aaskat rahi-o nis baasur keeno apno bhaa-i-o”……. I remained under the influence of corruption, night and day; I did whatever I pleased. I never listened to the Guru's Teachings; I was entangled with others' spouses. I ran all around slandering others; I was taught, but I never learned. How can I even describe my actions? This is how I wasted my life. Says Nanak, I am totally filled with faults. I have come to Your Sanctuary - please save me, SGGS Ang1232

“jay dayhai dukh laa-ee-ai paap garah du-ay raahu”….... If my body were afflicted with pain, under the evil influence of unlucky stars; and if the blood-sucking kings were to hold power over me, -even if this were my condition, I would still worship and adore You, and my longing to chant Your Praises would not decrease. SGGS Ang142

Let your influencer be the Lords Naam. “Naamhu hee naam mannee-ai naamay vadi-aa-ee"…. So believe in the Naam, and only the Naam; through the Naam, glorious greatness is obtained. He alone receives it, unto whom it is given. Through the Guru's Teachings, the Naam is realized. O Nanak, everything is under the influence of the Naam; by perfect good destiny, a few obtain it. SGGS Ang 426

The Naam influences you to ask yourself haven’t you seen enough with your eyes, the treacherous ways of Maya. “Sang tayrai kachh na chaalai binaa gobind naamaa…. “Nothing shall go along with you, except the Name of the Lord of the Universe. Land, clothes, gold and silver - all of these things are useless. Children, spouse, worldly honours, elephants, horses and other corrupting influences shall not go with you” SGGS Ang547

“True are the actions of those who are under the Guru's influence”