The ripple effects resulting from our actions can go further than we can imagine.
I had an experience recently that made me think about the ripple effect and about how none of us every really knows how far our actions reach, who they affect, and how. Something that might seem so small to you can have a really big impact in someone else’s life, and you might never even know it. It’s a concept that fills me with awe, and really does make me want to think twice about what I do and how I act and react towards people.
Here’s what happened: I found a mysterious package in my mailbox. It was addressed to me, but I hadn’t ordered anything, so what could it be? I opened it up and inside was a beautiful handcrafted leather journal, personalized with my initials and stamped with a lovely design of a tree and birds and the following words: “Believe you can and you’re already there”. Tucked inside this beautiful journal was a little note that said “This is your time to fly. You’re going to mend broken spirits by encouraging and inspiring them. But mostly, you’re giving hope to those who have lost it along this rocky road called life. You do that for me every day. Now go and move those mountains”.
My beautiful new journal.
It was a gift from a friend, one of the few people I know whom I’ve actually told about this site. We met online when she contacted me about advertising my jewelry business on her blog site, a site dedicated to Post-Partum Depression, mental health and motherhood. She had read on my site that partial proceeds from my sales were donated to a local mental health charity and she wanted to help out. Her name is Kim, and she’s an awesome woman, with the inner strength of a warrior and soul of a poet. She inspires not only me, but thousands of women around the world, with her indomitable spirit, vibrant personality, and very funny sarcastic wit.
And here she had sent me this beautiful gift to say I was inspiring her… and it made me cry.
The Vibe Shifting Ripple Effect?
When I started Vibe Shifting, I never gave any thought to the ripple effect. I started this blog as a way of helping myself work out my understanding of the principles behind the Law of Attraction, especially in relation to the area of mental health; and, while I had hoped that posting my articles would be helpful to other people on the same journey, bringing them encouragement and inspiration to keep going, it never occurred to me that I could have that much of an impact on anyone. This experience, however, showed me that none of us can ever know how far our actions will reach.
I don’t think Kim has any idea what this journal, and more importantly, her note mean to me. She doesn’t know that when I feel sad, or hear that voice of doubt in my mind start to question the direction I’ve chosen for myself, I look at the words printed on that beautiful journal, and I take out her note and read it. And I am reminded to keep on believing in myself and my dreams; I am reminded to keep moving forward and moving those mountains; and I am reminded that what I’m doing really is making a difference.
And I wonder about the ripple effect that may result from this one small journal; Kim sent it to me, and I use it to keep myself inspired to keep writing this blog… but neither of us has any way of knowing what happens further out. Could there be someone out there, reading my blog right now, who will find their own inspiration within these words? Will they be inspired to act in a way that will, in turn, inspire another? How far will it go? I wonder if it’s possible that the ripple effect resulting from this will travel ever outward, affecting people we’ve never met, and changing lives in places we’ve never been.
It’s a thought that makes me smile. And want to keep writing even more. 🙂
Wow, Nathalie!
What a moving post! I love coming here every day and being inspired by your words. Thank you!
Isn’t it lovely that in a way we’ve both written about the same thing on the same day? I’ve been appreciating the ripples that touch me, all the way from Canada, Wales, and even Abu Ahabi.
Hugs to everyone, everywhere! World group hug!
Carole
Thanks, Carole — I really appreciate the support! 🙂 Yes, you really do have an amazing talent for connecting with people all over the place. It really is fascinating to watch… I am so impressed with how quickly you’ve grown your social media “empire”! (And if you ever do figure out that Google+ thing, let me know… I can’t make heads or tails out of it!)
You?
I love you.
You know that I have so much faith in what you are doing. Everyone stumbles and questions what the hell they’re doing. We may want to give up but we have to remember that It’s in those moments we breathe. We breathe life back into our hearts. It recharges us. It keeps us moving forward.
You’re not only creating ripples, but you are moving mountains. There are a lot of people out there who don’t comment but read your inspirational words. You may not see it, but you are helping people. Promise.
Love you.
Thank you, Kim. And thank you again for the journal and your note… they really do keep me going when the going gets tough. Plus you write an awesome blog that makes me snort my coffee out my nose. Gotta love that in a person. 😉 You rock, chica, and I’m so glad I met you. ((hugs!))
I love Kim.
So happy for you both to have found each other, and continue to inspire each other – and others.
Hi Alison, and thanks for stopping by! Yes, Kim is kind of awesome, isn’t she? 🙂 P.S. I think I put on about 25 pounds just browsing your drool-worthy Pinterest boards. I’m going to be checking them out more thoroughly as soon I can…
I’ve just recently found your site and I’ve got to say that I’m going to have to be coming to it everyday for the positive inspiration it provides. Every post I have just read this morning is exactly where I’m at! I’ve been feeling rather lost of late and which direction to go in and so much of what you have written really makes me think. Reading your post on how to declutter your house..at the moment its my head that needs a declutter. Im not sure where you are in the world but that ripple effect is reaching me here at the bottom of the world so thank you
🙂
Hello Joy! Welcome to my site, and thanks so much for commenting! I’m so glad you’re finding my posts useful… if they’re resonating with you there’s a reason for that! It means you’re in the right place, at the right time for you. You brought this blog into your life for a reason, and it will probably lead you to other blogs and resources that will also be helpful to you, because the Universe really does like to be helpful that way. 😀
If this is the first time you’ve come across this type of material, you may want to take a look at some of the books in my recommended resources page; they are all books that I’ve read and found very helpful and inspirational in my own journey. You can probably find a lot of them at your local library! Another really awesome resource is Melody Fletcher’s blog. She is awesome, and she has a free ebook that you can download which will really help you understand the concepts behind the Law of Attraction.
P.S. I’m way up in Canada! I love the Internet… I love how it lets people like you and me, from pretty much the oppposite ends of the earth, connect! 🙂
One small gesture or kind word can truly work miracles. Often, these things are spoken or done without much thought but good intentions. We might not ever know what kind of ripple effect they created, but rest assured, every good deed plants a seed. Maybe the person you passed on the street and said hello to was contemplating jumping off a bridge because he or she thought no one cared. Maybe that greeting, however seemingly insignificant, could have changed the course of his or her life. If you feel moved to speak, to compliment, or encourage, I say do it! We don’t always know the story behind one’s eyes–and all of us have a story!–but those gifts of kindness are much more powerful than we can think or imagine at the time. And when they blossom, WOW! 😀
Hello Ayla — so nice to “see” you again. 🙂 It really is amazing how far tiny acts of kindness and compassion can travel. We really do tend to underestimate much of an impact we can make in the world just by making the effort to be nice to people. I have another article about ripple effects and I linked a video in that one that really does a fantastic job of illustrating this. I like to watch it when I’m feeling a little down — brightens up my whole day. 🙂
And you’re absolutely right — every single person out there has a story. In the words of Plato, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”