Since we entered this world as a newborn, we have been subjected to the influence of others. If we were fortunate enough to have caring and loving parents, then we got off to a good start. Those first few years were crucial in the development of our psyche. Because so many of the orphans in countries like Romania, never had the bonding and close physical contact from someone that loved them, they have a very difficult time coping with life and relationships later on in their life.

I am familiar with a number of examples of couples who have adopted children from these orphanages, only to have to return the children a few years later because they were unable to control their behaviour. These children appeared to be unable to express and accept love. It’s a heartbreaking situation for all concerned.

From the moment we are born, we need to feel close to another human being. This gets us off to a great start in life.

However, at a certain age we start to attend school and life then takes a major turn for us. We are now surrounded with other children who are all vying for the attention of the teacher and for each other. Our personality is really starting to take shape around this time and we either start to exhibit traits of being a follower or a leader. If your memory will allow you to, take a moment to look back on your childhood. Were you the child that everyone else listened to, or were you the quiet one who held back and just watched what was going on? At this age you were starting to either influence others or be influenced by them.

It’s not a bad thing to be influenced by others as long as you have chosen wisely. For example, when you reached your teen years were you influenced by your peers who wanted to smoke and drink behind their parents backs or were you influenced by the peers who were getting themselves part-time jobs and becoming successful young entrepreneurs.

During those young years you were starting to set a pattern. If you were allowing yourself to be influenced by people of poor character, then it is likely that these are the type of people that you continue to follow as you get older.

If you have been following the wrong crowd, that does not mean that you cannot turn this around. There are thousands of wonderful true life stories of people who were living on the wrong side of life, who recognized that they wanted more out of life and made that decision to take matters into their own hands, and change for the better.

So how does someone accomplish that? They have to sever their relationships with people that are a negative influence on them and seek out people they can look up to and emulate. They don’t have to know these people personally. One very successful person I know very well, went through this process. He made himself a list of five or six people that he admired. They had specific qualities that he wanted to develop in himself. He studied these people and learned everything he could about them. This way, he was able to copy what they had done and create for himself a whole new personality that was a composite of this group of people that he admired.

You can also contact these people if you so desire. You would be surprised at how accommodating they can be….they quite often welcome the opportunity to help and are willing to give free advice if they feel you are genuine and sincere.

Look at these people as your mentors. These are the folks that you want as an influence in your life. The wonderful thing about this, is that you have a choice as to who you will allow to influence your thoughts and actions. Take your time and choose wisely. This is something that we can all do and the benefits will become evident as we continue to grow, improve and head towards a successful and rewarding life.

I have been influenced by a number of people in my life…but most recently there have been a few young entrepreneurs who have taught me many wonderful lessons in how to be successful in the internet marketing field.  They are Mike Dillard, Frank Kern, Yanik Silver and Jonathan Budd.  I am truly grateful for these people who freely share their knowledge and expertise with others.

If you would like to check out the company that I am proud to be a part of please click here:  www.GetAlkalizedWithKangen.com

All the best to you!

Jan