Influencing Others
During my journey as a writer, I began to see The Power of One principle manifest in new ways. I was now influencing others through my prolific prose. It only takes one piece of writing to affect any given reader. Ditto that for hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands or more readers — especially if you go viral on social media.
You need not be a best-selling author or Pulitzer Prize winner to touch the lives of others through writing. Here’s an example: Lance Scoular is a VIP contact within my social media network. He bravely wrote a piece about suicide prevention for “R U OK? Day” in Australia.
Lance shared his personal experience despite some initial hesitation due to the sensitivity of the topic. Many readers found his piece to be emotionally penetrating. The article helped catalyze an open dialogue on a gut-wrenching social issue.
- “My most challenging article to write was my first ever long-form post on LinkedIn back in September 2014,” Lance told me.
- “While personally challenging in the writing process — by being vulnerable on a topic that is emotionally raw to many — the article received a lot of traction. It resonated with many people not just in Australia but around the world.”
- “If my article assisted in saving just one life, the days of mulling over it before clicking the publish button will have been well worth it.”
Lance’s article demonstrates The Power of One principle for writers on the most serious of issues: life and death, suicide, and mental illness. He wrote the following in responding to dozens of comments on his post:
I have had a number of emails and phone calls from friends and colleagues sharing their stories. There is a lot of sadness and heartache in many people’s lives. Possibly more than we imagine.
One reader’s reply was typical of many others:
Thank you Lance for opening up to us in this post. I truly felt connected with this and felt the difficulty you would have had in writing it.
This one article touched the lives of many readers and may have even saved a life. That’s The Power of One for writers.
Editor’s Note: This article appeared on The Good Men Project and is featured here with Author permission.
As a former teacher, this piece just warms my heart! And it’s a good reminder to me that we can all be that “one” to someone. Thank you for sharing this one, David. You cut through the clutter and always leave me with a gem!
Melissa, thanks very much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate your kind words and meaningful engagement, as always!
Love this Power of One story. “All it takes is one influential individual to help realize your hidden talent and change your life in unforeseen ways.” Just one person who has faith in you or sees your potential can change the trajectory of our lives. This scenario is told over and over in movies where children with certain circumstances were not expected to succeed, yet with the encouragement of just ONE person, often standing alone, the outcomes were very different for many.
Thank you for sharing your story, David. I enjoyed your writing style.
Yvonne, belated thanks for responding to the article. I’m glad you found it insightful and relatable per your comments. Your comments are very much appreciated.
Many thanks, Larry. That happens to me all the time with Siri dictation. What does that tell us about the efficacy of AI voice recognition?
Well done David!
Paula, I appreciate your kind words.
Davis, A great story and good advice
That would be David, Sorry Siri is a bit off today