Influence: the power that somebody has to affect other people’s thinking or actions by means of argument, example, or force of personality,

Many people have had an influence on me over the course of my life. My mom who taught me the value of perseverance by deciding to learn how to drive in her late 30’s – it took her a while but, she got there in the end. My dad who taught me that I already had everything I thought I needed from the world within me. My cousins taught how to love through the simple act of reading me a fairytale.   Nelson Mandela – who I’ve never laid my eyes on – taught me that you cannot chose what happen to you but, you can choose how you react to it. Oprah Winfrey – who I hope to meet someday – taught me that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by dreaming big. Laura – who I met on Twitter a couple of months ago – taught me that you can leave a lasting impression on someone’s heart in spite of geographical location.

If every human being is indeed a human becoming then that would mean that I am the sum total of all those who have influenced me.