We don’t always know about the influence we have on others. We just do our thing and don’t consider the effects it may have on those around us. Your enthusiasm as you run a 5k, play the guitar in church, teach, or create a system may inspire someone else to start doing something that changes their life.

Your lacklustre commitment may also convince someone not to try. A hidden disgust may not be as hidden as you think. A fake smile may be deciphered by the discerning. Influence works both ways—positive and negative.

Influence through Technology and Running
 This week I built a GPT for creating marathon or half-marathon training plans:
Marathon and Half-Marathon Planner.

It generates weekly schedules, including speed workouts (accessible in “deep thinking mode”), and produces tables you can paste directly into Google Sheets or Excel. You can also ask it: “Show me the rules you use to create a plan,” and it will explain its methodology in detail.

This project brought together two of my loves: running and technology, especially AI. It is also an example of how tools we build can influence and equip others.
If you apply your particular skill enthusiastically to help others, it has the potential to influence others for good. 

I believe that there is no cure, elixir or practice in this world that has anything near the amazing effect running can have in someone’s life. As for AI, it is still to be fully realized, but we have never had so much knowledge and skill so easily accessible for anyone who is willing to partner with it.

Influence on Community and Family
 Another project that concluded today was our company’s 5k Fit and Fun Run. From July through September we held a Summer Fitness Challenge, with employees competing across themes like:

  • most time spent active 
  • longest distance covered
  • most diverse set of fitness activities

The 5k run was the celebration of this challenge, and it turned into a lovely morning next to Sukhna Lake.

My son and friends who are like children to me volunteered at the event. One of the best outcomes for me personally was that he felt inspired to start running again and even train for a half marathon. I immediately used my GPT to create a training plan for him.

Why was this such a powerful influence on him? Maybe my own enthusiasm inspired him and so he will in turn become an inspiration to others.

Influence through enthusiasm
 Science, particularly in social learning theory, confirms this principle: a child is more likely to adopt a habit if they see a parent engaging in it with genuine joy rather than a reluctant duty. Enthusiasm is contagious.

So, wash the dishes with a song and dance, and your children will learn to do it too.

Writers and thinkers across time have affirmed this truth:

  • Oscar Wilde: “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.”
  • Paul, in Colossians: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people” (3:23).
  • Solomon, in Ecclesiastes: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”

But motivation can falter. Sometimes we want to live well yet lack inner drive. Only God, through His Spirit, can transform us into the kind of people we want to be. Let Him take over, and His goodness will overflow from us, touching others more than we realize.