Influence is that invisible Wi-Fi we’ve all been connected to since childhood, sometimes strong signal, sometimes “reconnecting…”
Growing up, we didn’t try to copy people… it just happened. A teacher’s tone, a parent’s habits, a friend’s style, somewhere along the way, we picked up versions of them and installed updates without reading the terms & conditions.
Then came the golden era: movie stars, TV icons, cricketers. From posters on walls to keychains on school bags (my 1995–2000 nostalgia!), influence had merch. We proudly carried mini versions of our heroes like badges of identity.
College added another layer. Suddenly, influence had hierarchy. The cultural secretary had fans, the socially active senior had followers, and we all quietly enrolled in the “How to Be Noticed” course. (Remember the triangle of needs) That’s when theories like the “need for recognition” and “need for belonging” started making sense, not in textbooks, but in canteens and corridors.
Fast forward to workplaces, now influence wears formals. Managers influence with experience, communication, and sometimes just a very impressive CV. You observe, adapt, absorb… sometimes consciously, often not.
And then……boom. Social media.
Now there’s influence for everything. How to wear a saree, how to eat, how to sit, how to smile, how to breathe (almost).
From pickle recipes to personality traits, everything has a “right way,” and someone is already doing it better on Instagram.
In all this noise, a simple question gets lost:
Am I becoming better or just becoming someone else?
Sometimes it feels like we’re all running a race where the finish line keeps changing… and oddly, everyone starts looking similar at the end.
What about identity?
Nature quietly answers this. Walk into any garden same species, same soil, same sunlight…… yet every plant grows differently. No comparison, no copying, no “influencer reels.” Just authentic growth.
Maybe that’s the reminder we need.
To learn, but not lose ourselves.
To admire, but not imitate blindly.
To grow, but in our own direction.
Because someday, the next generation won’t need perfect examples…
They’ll need real ones.
And maybe, just maybe… being yourself is still the most underrated trend.
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