be your own biggest influencer

Hello!!! It hasn’t been so long since I wrote last, but it feels like ages!! In the past week, I moved out to San Francisco for school and have been exploring this beautiful city. And of course, with exploring a new place and entering a new chapter comes many new ideas. The subject that I want to focus on today is why you should be your own biggest influencer. (Enjoy these California views on the side!!)

In the digital age where oversharing life, and overconsumption of others’ lives has become normal, it is so much easier to (consciously or subconsciously) be influenced by what others are thinking and doing.

I slowly began to see more and more how I was unknowingly being influenced in many areas of my life. So many people have so many opinions. I realized I had been taking them all in and experiencing life through others’ thought processes instead of my own.

In my recent journal entries, I have described these external influences as “the noise.” With access to so many voices and opinions, it is easier than ever to get wrapped up in advice or opinions that were never actually meant for you in the first place. People will tell you what is working, but the catch is, this is what is working for them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you, too.

For example, for a specific person, the most productive and feel-good morning routine might be waking up at 5am, exercising, taking an ice-cold shower, meditating, and then heading off to work. If someone has truly found peace in this routine, chances are, they will share it with you in some Youtube video titled something like “The Productive 5am Routine That Changed My Life.” But just because it changed their life doesn’t mean it will change yours. It is easy to get your timeline convoluted with someone else’s and forget that everyone is following their own, unique path.

In your journey, you are not a step too early, nor a step too late.

So what does it mean to practice mindful consumption? This is something that I am actively working on, now that I’ve realized how easy it is to be influenced by the media we consume. Essentially, it just means that when you are going to consume any sort of media, you carefully select what you consume and are active in the consuming process (i.e., actively thinking about what you are watching, reading, or listening to). Sometimes it’s helpful to turn off auto-play, recommended videos/articles, or watch/listening history as well. This makes it harder to get trapped consuming media that you did not actively choose. An important distinction is that this does NOT mean only consuming media that you agree with, but instead avoiding being unintentionally influenced by media that you did not select. One of the great things about being active in the selection process is that you can choose to consume media of differing view points to try to gain a better understanding of where other parties are coming from.

The second step is prioritizing creating over consuming — be your own biggest influencer! I touched on this briefly in my “new hobbies and a beginner’s mindset” post. There, I wrote that “more information is not necessarily always better.” In this same line of thought, seeing more paths, getting more advice, or hearing more opinions does not mean that you will be more guided or have more clarity afterwards. In fact, it could be quite the opposite. Everyone is living such a unique life and coming into each moment with a unique set of experiences and perspective. It seems silly to try to take navigation advice from someone who has a completely different map than you. But if you prioritize creating over consuming, this will put the emphasis on following your path and nobody else’s. Focus on creating friendships, experiences, and opportunities. Focus on making your own map, and walking your own path according to your own navigation system.

Love,
Leah