Shine a light on other people’s good works with passion and authenticity, and watch your own influence grow.
Welcome to the 25th episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about A little help from my friends! Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!
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Today’s show cover features the fabulous Teresa deGrosbois, a publishing expert who is not only an international bestselling author, she is also a master of mass influence. Teresa loves influence because it’s our ability to create change.
If you have a vision that you want share with others, do yourself a favor and check out her book, Mass Influence, the Habits of the Highly Influential at MassInfluenceTheBook.com, including her 30 Day Influence Challenge to develop your influence skills.
30 Day Influence Challenge
She offered to sit with me to discuss the direction of my book and took me on a much deeper dive than I expected. We talked about the purpose of the book, what action I would be guiding people to take, the amount of work a book takes to write and promote, and even whether a book is a right avenue for me at this point. And then she asked me to consider something even bigger.
Teresa asked me to look for the convergence of what I love, what I’m good at, and what I most wish someone would do in the world (aka the thing I keep saying, “why doesn’t somebody just…”). That’s about dreaming big and making it happen. That’s about purpose. And meaning. And vision.
I thought about it deeply and I was stunned by the ideas that came up — nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. A hugely deflating moment for me. I have no clue what I will create that will make a difference in this world.
I was preoccupied with my lack of progress when I met with my editor Callum, one of those “what’s the point?” moments. When I told him what was on my mind, he was a bit surprised that I took my conversation with Teresa so seriously. He was also a little concerned that I was off track from the focus of the book.
My conversations with Callum are about the guest and what they’re doing to make our world a better place. After a couple of days being in this funk, I was ready to let it rip. To my absolute delight, the next day’s session with Callum started with my interview with Teresa.
I told him about her passion for using influence to change the world for the better. Her example during her TEDx talk with Dave Bonk and his Hearts and Hammers charity was inspired and a huge a-ha moment for me. Shine a light on other people’s good works with passion and authenticity, and watch your own influence grow. Her lesson about how giving away influence builds our own influence really clicked for me, and I knew I could do that.
I shared with Callum her abundance mindset. She helps so many people remember that their dreams are scarier to them than anyone else, and when you step into your dreams all kinds of people will step in and help you. Her work as the leader of the Evolutionary Business Council, a group of community thought leaders committed to making change happen in the world, reflects her commitment to making people’s lives better.
When she talks about the impact of forgiveness and support for Project Forgive, it’s so grounded in principles of personal and professional growth. If you get stuck in fear or anger or grief, you can’t be successful in life. Forgiveness is about releasing your negative attachment to a situation, releasing the negative energy that holds you back from moving forward. Failing fast, getting past issues fast, that’s the key to success.
Can you imagine spending time with someone who believes and operates with this mindset? Can you imagine having someone like that as your evangelist, someone who truly believes in your might and supports you?
I said earlier that I have a lot of respect for Teresa. I have even more love for her. She operates from a position of abundance and boundless opportunity to make a difference in our world. It’s really powerful having people like Teresa in my corner. I may not have my answer yet, but I’m on track and making progress towards my goals.
Teresa, thanks for being here for me and pouring on your love.
Callum, thanks for sticking with me, listening with an open heart, and helping me get to the next stage.
Here’s a favorite quote of Teresa’s from Margaret Mead that is all about the impact that influence can have on our world:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has – Margaret Mead
Don’t be stingy with your love. Always err on the side of love and kindness.
Love & Gratitude,
Rob
Mentioned in This Episode:
Mass Influence – the habits of the highly influential | Teresa de Grosbois | TEDxCanmore
