“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
– The Book of Proverbs, verse 27:17
While that is a biblical quote, I am not going to drag you down the rabbit hole of forcing any religion on anyone. However, some of the lessons found in each piece of religious literature does provide valuable contributions to personal development, which I don’t think anyone could ever develop themselves too much.
This simple quote reminds me of Jim Rohn, one of my favorite teachers of personal development and professional success, when he said: “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”
These two quotes kept me thinking about how they quotes relate to each other. They kept me reflecting on who in my life is having an impact. It kept me thinking about what value I could be providing to others.
3 questions to ponder about the people in your life:
- Who’s wisdom do I feel has shaped the character traits within me that I am proud to have? Which traits specifically do I have that can attribute to spending time with them? Have I told them about their impact in my life?
- Who in my life has influenced ignorance within me that I feel has shaped the character traits that I am NOT proud to have? How do I overcome these habits and be more consciously aware of negative influence?
- How do I find more people that fit into question #1? How do I invite them to be a part of my journey?
Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. After reflecting on who is providing sharpening effects on you, I challenge you to take the next step with me. Who are you to other people? Does being around you add value to another persons life? How? Whether you think you are or not, we all influence each other. So, I implore you to sit back for a moment and truly ponder the following question.
What influence do I provide to others?
What wisdom do I have that could or does shape the character traits within those around me, that I am proud to provide? Which traits specifically do People around me have that can be directly attributed to them spending time with me?
Like it or not, life is about people. Your boss or leaders. Your employees or those you lead. Your family. Your friends. Your acquaintances. Your customers. Even the clerk at the check out counter. We all influence each other in some manner.
Each of us has an amazing opportunity of profound influence to sharpen others. For example, think about the effects just a smile or scowl from a stranger walking down the street provides. Our actions and our inactions all affect those around us, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
Through my own personal development journey, I am learning to consciously become that person described in the first question listed above by asking myself a simple question in regards to the people I meet: “How can I serve you?”
Service is everything. When you see the effects of humbly serving others, you feel fulfilled. You feel your purpose. I’m not talking about waiting on people hand and foot. I’m talking about getting to the root of that person’s needs. Personal development. The root of their fears and angst. How can you impart your wisdom? How can you help benefit that person’s life? How can you be a blessing?
Give it some thought and ask someone the question: “How may I serve you?” You might be surprised by the profound impact that you may have on the next chapter in that person’s life.
Nicole is a military-trained research analyst, homeschooling mom, healthy lifestyle coach, flexible business consultant, and writer for MotherhoodTruth.com and GracefullyAbundant.com. After living through and overcoming a season of homelessness and chronic health, Nicole developed a passion for helping others develop healthier habits using functional nutrition, herbalism, and renewing faith.