The Ripple Effect

by | Mar 18, 2013 | Empowering | 1 comment

At a banquet honoring women who serve the community, one of the nominees for Woman of the Year was Corky Hundahl. After suffering tragedy in her own family, Hundahl sought to help other families by starting a substance recovery program.

In her speech, Hundahl asked the crowd to consider:  “What do we want to put into the world today?”

Not, what do we want to take from the world today?

Not, what do we think we deserve from the world today?

No.

She asked, “What do we want to put into the world today?”

The question is powerful because it infers that we have the ability, each of us, to contribute to the world. Those contributions may be in ways large, or small. We need not all build a bridge, stop a war, nor feed the hungry in order to put something good into the world. We could smile at a stranger, take a meal to a sick friend, share some words of wisdom with a child who needs guidance. We could support the elderly, spend money at a local store to circulate wealth within our own community, or volunteer for a charitable organization.

The question also reminds us that, just as we have the power to put good into the world, we also have the power to thrust negativity outward. We could yell in traffic, be unkind to a store clerk, spread gossip about a coworker. We could be cruel to an animal, leave an inadequate tip at a restaurant, or ignore the requests of someone asking for help.

All of our actions matter. There is a ripple effect to what we do. There are consequences to every action. Some cultures call this karma. If we consider each interaction and choose kindness over cruelty, patience over arrogance, love over hate, how much better could we make each moment? Each day?

So, I challenge you to be more mindful of the impact of your actions. Consider what you want to put into the world today. And act accordingly.

1 Comment

  1. Andrea Carroll

    Thank you Stacie for another very interesting blog. I personally will try to be more conscious of the ripple effect that I have.

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