Ryuho Okawa - 15 Jan

THE ART OF INFLUENCE
Copyright 2019 by Ryuho Okawa
Original title: Kankaryoku
English translation copyright Happy Science 2019

ISBN: 978-1-942125-55-6

PUBLISHED BY:
IRH PRESS

Book Design: Jess Morphew
Cover / Interior Image L.DEP / Shutterstock.com

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owners and the above publisher of this book.

eab:20170120

Founder of Happy Science

IRH Press

QUESTION: How can I be more open to other peoples advice and opinions?

ANSWER:Cultivating a wish to learn from others is the first necessary step.

The ability to open your mind to other peoples advice and opinions is important. My first recommendation is to ensure that you are willing to learn from others, because the lack of a desire to learn from others is what prevents us from listening to their advice. If you have a habit of tuning out other peoples advice, its often because your strong but unrecognized egotism and pride are leading you to resist other peoples opinions. So cultivating a wish to learn from others is the first necessary step.

If you find that youre eager to learn from others, then my second recommendation is to look at the positive aspects rather than the negative aspects of those who come to you with their advice. Their social status, gender, and age shouldnt make a difference in how you receive their opinions. Many precious life lessons may slip through your fingers if you allow your prejudices to close you off to those who have less wealth, status, or education than others; those who are younger; or those with other types of attributes. If you allow someones impressive position or status or the lack of those things to determine whom you choose to lend your ears to, youll limit the wealth of learning opportunities available to you in life.

This is why its crucial to cultivate a wish to learn from anyone and everyone who offers positive seeds to nourish your soul. If youre truly determined to learn from others, you should earnestly learn from their perspectives to gain valuable lessons from them.

Share with others the beneficial advice that youve received in the past.

My third piece of advice is to not let yourself disregard other peoples advice and suggestions, and instead find a way to incorporate it into your day-to-day life.

And a fourth important thing you can do is share with others the beneficial advice that youve received in the past. There are many things about ourselves that we dont notice, so by listening to others advice, we may find opportunities that dramatically shift the course of our lives. If someone you know is suffering from a problem like one youve faced before, the tried and tested advice that helped you may benefit this person. Sharing your wisdom with others in this way lets you act with true selfless compassion and practice a great human virtue.

We need to learn to distinguish between what we do have control over from what we dont.

Let me tell you about a time in my life when listening to someones advice helped me. When I was working in the corporate world, someone once said something to me that taught me a valuable lesson: There may be things in life that we can control, but there are also things in life that lie beyond our power to change.

This is what this person said to me: Is the problem thats on your mind right now an issue that lies within or outside your control? An issue thats within your power to change certainly deserves your best effort. But if you find that theres nothing within your power that can help, then there are times when youll need to acknowledge that its beyond your control and let the problem pass. This advice taught me an important, new mindset.

Many of us spend much of our lives dwelling on problems we have no control over, while we neglect problems that our efforts can help solve. What can we possibly achieve in life if we keep trying to solve problems that we have no power over? We need to learn to distinguish between what we do have control over from what we dont and to put the latter aside.

This is why I have taught myself to follow these steps when I am faced with lifes issues: First, I determine which things are within my power to change, and then I try to solve the problem by improving myself. Then, with respect to things that lie outside my own control, I learn as much as I can from them and then set them aside, at least for the time being. Some of them will resolve over time, and others may not. Whatever the outcomes, this is how Ive learned to look at my issues. And this is one way of thinking that has helped me lead a successful life.

Our own emotions are fully within our power to control.

Other peoples feelings are a prime example of things that lie beyond our individual power to control. No matter what we do, we cant change the feelings that other people experience. The best we can do is offer them our advice, but we cant always make them change things about themselves.

In contrast, our own emotions are fully within our power to control. Even in the middle of an argument with a friend, your thoughts and feelings are always open to your own choices. Even in a heated moment, its up to the free will of none other than yourself to decide how you think and feel about your friend. Do you wish to spend ten years harboring resentment in your heart and speaking ill words about your friend? Or do you wish to forgive and forget the argument the next day? Its completely up to you.

So when youve finished telling your friend everything there is to tell, and youre certain that theres nothing else you can possibly do or say to help, you need to believe in the power of your words to nourish your friends soul and eventually bring him or her to the positive path. Whats important is that you become the master of your own thoughts and emotions.

The more your store of inner wisdom is allowed to develop, the more extraordinary your character will become.

Ive now discussed four points that will help you open your mind to other peoples advice and opinions, to which I would like to add an additional point. When you practice the advice you receive, find it beneficial, and then share with others this wisdom youve gained, you gain an additional learning experience to add to the store of the wisdom within your soul. In the end, the more your store of inner wisdom is allowed to develop, the more extraordinary your character will become.

If you read this book carefully and thoroughly, you will see that Im not a mere leader of a new religion like the mass media like to portray me. The unbounded and independent spirit that dominates this book shows that I am a modern philosopher who speaks in living language, as well as a thinker and leader of the times.

Youll also see that I am a master of the spiritual world who mentors and guides many business executives and leaders around the world. I sense that Im becoming the spirit of the times, in the Hegelian sense, for both Japan and the larger world.

This book will surely mark a new beginning of your life and the world surrounding you.

Ryuho Okawa
Founder and CEO
Happy Science

QUESTION: