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Welcome to the start of a new year. Have you had a chance to sit down and craft the “best yet” list of resolutions and goals for yourself? Are you still languishing in a holiday daze and dreading dipping your toes back into the work waters? Both mindsets are completely relatable!

As the 4word team anticipated and plotted out 2022, God nudged us toward a year-long discussion about understanding, discovering, and utilizing influence, no matter where you are. While we believe that Christian women in the workplace have every ability to get all the way to the top of the corporate ladder, we also understand that there are 4word women at all points along the journey.

Let’s start off the year and discussion with this base fact: you can have influence no matter your position at work, because, as a child of God, you are equipped with the Holy Spirit. It is no surprise to God that you are where you are. He knows your path, your steps. He designed them!

Are you struggling to see your influence? That is largely thanks to the notion engrained in our minds that there is a title threshold one must cross before they earn their “influence star.” Try your best to rip that idea from your mind; it doesn’t deserve your mental real estate anymore.

If you look up the definition of influence, you will find a few different answers, but one of our favorites is this one from Merriam Webster: “the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen.” That definition makes influence sound like something natural…because it is.

Imagine what this world could look like if women in the workplace leaned into their faith and trusted God to use them to further His Kingdom in their workplaces. By the end of this year, you could be part of a global sisterhood of women equipped to disciple other women to become women of influence. But want to know a secret? You’re already in that sisterhood.

“Why should I want to be an influence?” Think of influence as insider knowledge on the most amazing deal of the century. Wouldn’t you want to tell everyone you know about how they could benefit? That desire is influence in a nutshell. You aren’t influencing to put yourself up on a pedestal in a spotlight. You’re influencing to invite others around you into your excitement so, together, you can make a difference in the world.

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:3

So what’s blocking you from seeing your influence? Is it fear, embarrassment, or uncertainty? Do you believe a certain job title is required to turn around and impart wisdom and insight to those coming behind you? Influence is not synonymous with authority. Influence only requires your commitment to be a light.

Each week this month, we will get further into the topic of why you should be working to increase your influence and what steps you can take to prepare yourself to step into a comfortable place with your influence. Are you ready to shine like the stars above? The future people you influence are waiting for you.