Real influence is when someone starts drinking water, reading, or apologizing because they watched you do it.

People copy what they see more readily than what they are told, and they usually copy it without announcing that they have. The ordinary habits you keep in front of others quietly become options for them. That is a slower kind of influence than persuasion, and a far more durable one.

Rather than recommending a habit to someone, let them watch you keep it for a few weeks. Say nothing about it. If they ask, answer plainly and skip the sermon.