The Course in Mastery Day 11: The Power to Influence

Day 11 of a 30 day challenge designed to help you gain balance in your life. Tom Wood and Jim Stovall share stories of inspiration that show anyone has the power to positively influence people each day.

Tom Wood

1. Study and master the skill of influence
2. Influencing is communicating with people so that they take action
3. Demosthenes and Cicero
3.1 Cicero was the ability to influence
3.2 When Demosthenes spoke people get excited but when Cicero spoke people went to war!
4. 6 Influencing Strategy:
4.1 Build rapport
4.2 Discover and listen
4.3 Expose the problem
4.4 Expose the solution
4.5 Appeal to emotions
4.6 Must ask for action
5. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini


Jim Stovall

Jim Stovall is an American writer best known for his bestselling novel The Ultimate Gift. The book was made into the movie The Ultimate Gift, distributed by 20th Century Fox. The Ultimate Gift has a sequel out called The Ultimate Life.

He is a graduate of Oral Roberts University. On May 3, 2008, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from ORU for his work with the disabled.
Stovall is blind and is an advocate on behalf of people with blindness. He advocated for the blind by making television and movies accessible to the blind through his work as President of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network.

In the book, Forbes Great Success Stories: Twelve Tales of Victory Wrested from Defeat (Hardcover) by Alan Farnham, Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes Jr., president and CEO of Forbes magazine, says, “Jim Stovall is one of the most extraordinary men of our era.”


1. We always live up to the expectations we have for ourselves or those expectations  that we allow other people to place upon us.
2. That big dream wouldn't have been put inside of you of you don't have the capacity to achieve it.
3. Mediocrity is the most selfish pursuit of any human being.
4. You don't have any right to be less than the best you can be.
5. No such thing as an insignificant moment
6. Your ability to dream, exercise the right to choose and make a quality decision and change your life by changing your mind


OJ Lopez

1. Practice the influencing strategy
2. Who is the most influencial person in my life?
3. No such thing as an insignificant person