This is going to sound rather strange, but please bear with me. Have you ever been around someone that smelled odd? Perhaps the odor of cat boxes or body odor? Or, someone wearing a powerful perfume or after shave? Have you found yourself easing just out of "range" of the smell when you had to interact with that person? How far away did you have to get to lessen the smell? About two feet? More?

If that is the range of their "odor aura," just imagine that as the range of their "aura of influence."

Or, perhaps you've been around someone that you instantly didn't trust. Did you "ease away" from them? About how far? Maybe two or three feet before you felt safe?

On, the other hand, did you ever notice how close you were to someone that you instantly liked and trusted? You might have moved even closer to share that aura.

We each have an "aura of influence" that we emminate. For good or bad, it is there. Some would call this the "spiritual body." Others have no name for it, but are aware it is there. Whatever you wish to label it, it is there for each of us.

So, think about this, what is YOUR aura of influence like? Is it one that people would trust and want to be close to? Is it one of anger, dislike, hate, pain, or fear? Perhaps it is one of happiness and caring.

You have the power to create your aura of influence into whatever you would want it to be. Simply by "being" what you would like it to be. Let me explain.

Your emotional state fuels your aura of influence. If you are in a foul mood, it will affect your aura. If you are in a loving mood, it will affect your aura. Not only that, but your aura will affect people around you. Even if you don't exert your own mood, have you found others being crabby when you're in a bad mood, or, have you noticed others are really easy to get along with when you're in a good mood?

Envision yourself in a loving, all-is-right-with-the-world mood. People want to be around you and that affects their moods. They pass that on to others they're around all day. Those others pass it around to more people. Can you see how wide an influence you really have?

By the same token, envision yourself in the opposite mood. Your influence will still reach out in large circles, but for the worse rather than the better.

Quoting from Ralph Waldo Trine's book, "In Touch with the Infinite" (copyright 1897), "You and I have the predominating characteristics of an optimist or the predominating characteristics of a pessimist. We then are making, hour by hour, our own heaven or our own hell; and in the degree that we are making the one or the other for ourselves are we helping make it for all the world beside."

I'll ask again--what is YOUR aura of influence like? Be an optimist by being a loving, grateful person and, as Mr. Trine says, help make the world a heaven right now.

C. Rogers Upson is a published author on several websites and in several anthologies. This article can be published on your website or in your newsletter, so long as the resource information is intact and nothing is changed. Her website is http://www.edragonmarketing.com and she has a blog at http://edragonmarketing.blogspot.com.