In his bestselling book The Millionaire Mind, Thomas J. Stanley interviewed 100's of millionaires (most self-made) to see what success-driving characteristics they shared.
Did you know that when asked what the number factor which contributed to their success was, the majority of millionaires said it was their ability to deal with others?
That's right. It wasn't their education, their expertise, their start up capital. It was their ability to deal with others.
And influence is nothing more than dealing with others.
Here's the deal.
You could graduate from Harvard Law School and be the smartest lawyer on the block; if you can't convince a judge, a jury, or at the very least your clients that you know what you're talking about, you will likely lose to the other attorney who can…even if he/she is less educated.
You could have a million-dollar idea or the creativity to change the world we live in by developing something like Windows or the IPod... but if you can't influence the right people to invest in that vision, it will forever remain a dream leading you right back where you started.
You could have all the great qualities of a life partner... but if you never influence someone to go out on a date with you and give you a chance, you will most likely remain alone a lot longer than you have to.
Perhaps you're not interested in money, status or "winning" per se. Maybe you just want to positively impact the world and make a difference.
The power to influence will enable you to get your message across to more people and help them... because they will trust what you say. And once people trust you, they will listen to you.
Perhaps you have all the money you need and aren't interested in anything I just mentioned.
As a human being, you will still instinctively crave interaction with others.
Relationships nurture the soul.
Without enough healthy interaction with other human beings, the sane mind begins to go insane.
This is part of the reason why people who commit heinous crimes are put into solitary confinement. It's basically a form of punishment to restrict human interaction.
The legal system is well aware of how this action affects the soul of the person.
It is for this same reason that we see these criminals reading or exercising for extended periods of time.
It's their way of trying to stop themselves from going crazy as a result of not having interaction with other people.
To sum it up simply, relationships magnify the human experience spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, and mentally.
For that reason, your ability to influence others and build relationships is extremely important to your quality of life.
Imagine if you had the power to have others: