Sixto Rodriguez is an American singer and song-writer who was born in the 1940s and began his career in the late 60s and early 70s.  He achieved very moderate success in music and primarily supported himself for decades working on an assembly line in Detroit where he lived in a dilapidated house he’d bought at a government auction.  He’d continued to write and play music casually while living a very modest, humble life.  Then, in 1997, his daughter discovered that his music had been suspiciously acquired and distributed throughout Australia and Southern Africa.  Unbeknownst to him, his albums had collectively sold more units than Elvis Presley.  For more than 20 years, he’d lived in near poverty without ever knowing he was a generational star halfway across the world. Upon learning of this, he later toured Southern Africa, Australia, and portions of Western Europe.  In 2012, a documentary about his story won an Academy Award. 

In 2006, a blog appeared online featuring stories by an anonymous writer using the pen name Philalawyer.  His blog was picked up and featured under a well known label that gave it a broader audience.  I was 26 at the time and my friends and I stumbled across the blog by accident.  It quickly became a favorite of ours and was a frequent talking point for several years.  The blog was about the absurdity the author experienced in the corporate world and how out of place a fun-loving 20-something young adult felt as he navigated the working world.  He was funny and on point, and spoke truths that profoundly resonated with each of us.  By 2019, he’d stopped publishing his work and never revealed his identity.  To this day, there is no record of him or where he went.  Yet, he’s the reason I started scribbling my own ideas and why I thought maybe I had something to say.  

The point of those stories is that, when it comes to influence, you’ll probably never realize the full impact you’ve had.  That’s because influence works differently than personal accomplishment.  When you do something personally, when you set a goal, there is a cause and effect that is easy to understand. If you practice more, you’ll get better.  If you study hard, your grades will improve.  When you eat right and exercise, you will get into shape. 

Influence doesn’t work that way.  You rarely get to witness the linear correlation between your actions and your influence.  You don’t always see the effect you have on others and, oftentimes, you don’t even know you are being influential. But, you are.  You may never know who sees you or what they see, but there are people noticing and those people need your example.  

That’s a little unfortunate.  It’d be nice to know just how much of a difference you’ve made, but the truth is that you’ll never truly know.  You’ll never know how much a neighbor enjoys seeing your smile. You’ll never know how inspired your coworker is by the attitude you bring everyday.  You may never know how much a friend is influenced by your workouts, or your style, or humor, or just your ability to be a good friend.  There are select times when we tell those around us what they mean to us, but that doesn’t do it justice.  The truth is that you’ll never really know the influence you have on others.  

Whatever it is you do, whatever your thing is, don’t do it just for yourself, do it for the others who need it.  On the day you don’t feel well, tough it out anyway because there is someone who needs to see you be strong.  During the times when it isn’t your problem or mess to clean up, handle it anyway because someone needs to see you do the right thing.  When you are intimidated and dealing with self-doubt, keep going because there is someone who needs to see you fight and persevere.  On those days you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for the ones who are watching.  You’re an example to somebody, but unfortunately, you may never know it.