It’s funny, my opinion of this question is that I don’t like it.
The reason being is society has created this divide of good men vs women and to isolate one man who has had a positive impact doesn’t feel like enough.
I am very selective on who I have in my life and who I interact with on a daily basis and to say that one man has influenced me isn’t quite right. When I ask myself who that particular man may be, I probably get about ten names instantly pop up and I can’t be bothered describing them individually, so I’m just going to throw and overview of the collective mindset of the good men I know.
The men who have positively influenced my life are good listeners. The habits of the good man are always to watch over the crowd, whether it be for threats, for income, for protection or for observation, influential men step back and understand the situation as a whole without being heavily influenced by emotional responses – don’t come at me that it’s only women who respond emotionally because shitty men also response with chaos and nastiness.
The influential men in my life set a standard and adhere to it at all times. The uphold expectations and base every decision they make around the greater good of the many, not the one or the few.
You can always spot a good man in a crowd. He is solid in his stance, he will step back when required and he will watch over.
You can always feel the energy from a good man. He will cast his focus to where the issue is. His eyes will search for what needs protection or interference. He will be soft and kind, unless there is a need to step forward.
It wasn’t until I met a group of men who, as a collective, operated under this mentality as a team and protected the group from the outside in that it became difficult for me to isolate one influence, because while there is always a leader, the collective decides the effectiveness of the influence.
So to the good men who read this, in family, in business, on the internet. The men who protect and jump in when needed to then return to circling. We see you – and we know what you do.
Lucky for me, there are several groups of influential men who have positively impacted my life, and this photo is but one of them.
Sarah x
Things I learnt. 