In our heads we all like to think we are in complete control of our actions, when in actual sense, we are the product of years of conditioning by a large number of factors. Before I use too much English to confuse you, check out these 5 things I do and why I do them. Trust me you can relate to most, if not all.
Collect Money With Right Hand
Despite the fact that this is pretty much a Nigerian culture thing, I still can’t shake or collect money with my Left hand. It is so bad that even if I wanted to, I would still involuntarily reach out with my right arm. The reason for this is quite simple. As kids we were told never hand out our left hand for any form of gesture, so much so that even though as an adult I still can’t help myself.
Eat My Meat After The Food.
No matter how good the meat is, it has to wait its turn for me to get to it, and typically, I would get to it after the meal. I may take little bites here and there but it is only after the meal, that I proceed to devour the meat. This is due to my siblings who I often had to share food with, to avoid anyone getting an unfair portion of the meat, our parents conditioned us to only have the meat after the food. Over 20 years later and I’m still practicing this habit. Lol
Dry My Clothes Inside-Out
I still don’t know why this is even a thing, but the only way I know how to dry my clothes is inside out. It’s how my elder siblings and neighbours did it. No matter what the cloth is, the only way it is getting dried is inside-out. Period!
Apologizing For Actions I Didn’t Cause
For most Nigerians, sorry is pretty much a pause filler. We say it to others, we say it to ourselves and we often say it when it is least warranted. Some random guy trips and falls hundreds of meters away and we all scramble to say sorry. It’s almost like we all are configured to feel responsible for other people’s misfortune, or (and this is probably it) our command of the English Language is just terrible. Who Knows?
Never Eating During A Visit
Till this day, my default answer to the question – Do you want to eat? is NO. I often have to force my brain to align with my stomach to change my mind and answer YES. This is because as a kid my mother would always promise an ass-whooping if we ever ate in the homes of someone we went to visit.
It’s amazing how these small idiosyncrasies still linger in my subconscious and affect the things I do. That’s the power of influence, that innate ability to shape not just what we do or say, but how we think.
This is why we should all take a second to recognize the importance of the Global Day Of Influence. We all are listening and acting on ideas, and notions that are being propagated for different agendas, and for this we all must realize just how important influence is in shaping our reality, as well as acknowledging the role we play in fostering the cycle of influence.