“Leave every person you come in contact with, with the impression of increase.”—Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich

If you want to be truly successful, make other people successful—that’s the basic premise of impression of increase, a concept that sounds so foreign. Aren’t we all supposed to be going after the brass rings ourselves? Not exactly. If we want to reach our highest goals, we also need to focus on leaving others better off than when we found them.

It’s such an important concept to understand that there’s an entire chapter in The Science of Getting Rich dedicated to impression of increase. So why would you want to do that? And how do you do that when tensions might be running high as we approach the holiday season?

Increase is what virtually everyone you meet is seeking. People are seeking more food, more clothes, more luxury, more beauty, more knowledge, more pleasure, more life. There’s nothing wrong with that. Every living thing has a necessity for continuous advancement, because when the increase of life ceases, dissolution and death set in at once. Therefore, finding a fuller expression in our lives is a deep-seated urge within humans.

We are all made up of energy (or spirit, depending on your beliefs), as I’ve said before. That spirit or energy is always striving to be the fullest expression of itself, and leaving people with the impression of increase helps us do that. Wallace D. Wattles’ teachings say that we are each energy in a body and spirit that are always meant for growth and expansion. The flower wants to bloom, the acorn wants to grow into a tree.

Understanding impression of increase on an intellectual level is part of it, but the important key is to internalize this idea and make it part of your essence and daily way of life. Impression of increase begins with wanting the best for others—maybe the same things that you would want for yourself. It all starts with a thought with a feeling. That means not comparing yourself to others and not wishing harm or ill will on somebody else or secretly hoping somebody will fail. There is no competition, there’s only creation.

Think about it for a moment. How could you start living and serving everyone, and leave them better off than when you found them?

The Power of Thoughts

A few years ago, I read Proof of Heaven, a book written by a neurosurgeon who contracted bacterial meningitis and slipped into a coma. The part of his brain that controls thought and emotion was completely shut off because he was in a state of no brain activity. However, he said he could feel and see people praying over him. When he described what he saw and felt, the details were confirmed by people who had been there. His eyes weren’t open; his brain was shut down. But he felt and saw it all because the power of thought, prayer, energy, well wishes, can all have a tremendous impact on your own energy.

Think about the energy that you might get from somebody who isn’t pleased with you. You can feel that energy when you are around them. When you leave that encounter, you might feel energetically depleted, or just off. All you know is that something just doesn’t feel right. The reverse is also true—when you are around positive, uplifting energy, you will feel the same.

When I walk away from somebody who makes me feel valued, I feel uplifted, and like I can tackle anything. That’s the power of leaving people with the impression of increase. People can feel your thoughts, so start with feeling positive things toward them.

Make It Deliberate

When you adopt this concept and bring it forth into your life, you will see magical things happen around you. However, you have to be deliberate. Give people genuine compliments and truly have positive thoughts for them. It might feel weird at first if you’re not used to doing this. Don’t leave people with phony comments. Find something that you see in them that you admire, maybe how nice they are, or the sweater they are wearing. Compliment them on something that comes from the heart.

Second, ask them questions about themselves. When they reply, listen and be focused on what they’re saying. This is not the time to multitask. Give people your undivided attention. Listen, not just to hear but to understand.

Third, acknowledge their efforts by pointing out an accomplishment of theirs. Smile as you do, and use their name in conversation. I know how wonderful it feels when someone acknowledges me and remembers my name, and this is the impression of increase you want to leave with others.

Set out and make the decision each and every day that you going to be the best version of yourself and do all things with excellence. Leave everything and everyone you touch with the impression of increase. At the end of the day, practice gratitude (something we touched on in an earlier blog post).

The holidays can be a difficult time, so try to set yourself up for success. If you know that you’re going to an event and will be seeing someone you have a difficult relationship with, prepare for that meet by writing down a list of things that are great about that person so that you into the event with a positive mindset.

If things get tense or the other person gets under your skin, simply excuse yourself, go get some air, and pull out that piece of paper with the six things. By doing this, you are resetting your energy, and I promise you, they will feel it. By you not reacting to their negativity, it will cause them to respond and react to you in a far more positive way.

Increase of impression can spread more positivity and uplifting feelings all around you. And as that old saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats, so start being part of that rising tide today.

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