Humankind. Be both.

Humankind. Be both.

I thought about this quote whilst sitting at my desk whilst at work. It was one of those quiet moments where your body is doing one thing, but your mind has wandered somewhere else entirely. I first heard the quote a few years ago while listening to Archetypes, one of my favourite podcasts, and for some reason it found its way back to me that afternoon. I always find it so peculiar how certain words have a way of resurfacing exactly when you need them.

This quote made me think about influence and what it really means.

Today, we hear the word influencer and our minds almost instinctively jump to social media. We picture beautifully curated feeds, affiliate links, aesthetic morning routines, and someone persuading us that this water bottle, that serum, or another matching workout set will somehow improve our lives. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that at all. We all influence one another in different ways, and sometimes discovering something new through another person can genuinely bring joy.

But I can't help wondering if we've started measuring influence by the wrong things.

What if the most meaningful influence isn't found in the products we recommend, but in the energy we leave behind? What if the people who change us the most are the ones who make us feel seen, who choose kindness when it's inconvenient, who offer encouragement without expecting recognition, or who remind us, simply through the way they live, to become a little softer ourselves?

I think about the people I've crossed paths with over the years. Some probably have no idea they've shaped me. A friend who believed in me before I believed in myself. A colleague who always remembered to ask how I was really doing. Elders who taught me that listening can sometimes be the greatest act of love. None of them would call themselves influencers, but their impact has lasted far longer than any trend ever could.

Maybe that's what this quote has always been trying to tell me.

We are constantly leaving pieces of ourselves with other people. Every interaction, every conversation, every small act of compassion has the potential to ripple further than we'll ever know. We may never see the effect our words have on someone else's day, or how a moment of patience changes the way they treat the next person they meet. Another quote I love expresses how we are all mosaics of each other, in the way we learn habits and little ways off people who come, go, and stay in our lives.

There's something quite comforting about that. It reminds me that influence isn't something we earn through followers or algorithms. It's something we practise every single day, often without realising it.

And if that's true, then perhaps one of the most worthwhile questions we can ask ourselves isn't, How many people am I reaching? but how do people feel after they've spent time with me?

Because maybe that's the kind of influence that matters most.