Picture yourself on the shore of a lake or a pond, and you cast a stone into the water. You see it enter the water and disappear, leaving behind a bounty of ripples that seemingly spread out for miles. The act of tossing a small stone into the water will result in a change that can be felt much farther away than the initial entry point—proof that small actions can lead to much bigger changes, even if you can’t see how far they can reach.
The Power Word
So I practice a little technique where I repeat what I call a POWER WORD throughout your day to motivate me to keep focused and energized to take on the daily chores and tasks. I change it up every month or so, and it is the first word I say to myself when I hop out of bed in the morning. My current word: RIPPLES! What kind of ripples am I sending out in my daily interactions with the folks that I serve, my team and coworkers, and the people I don’t even know?
The word ripples reminds me that even the smallest of positive actions on my part can affect someone in a huge way, and even other people who interact with the same person. You see, if I provide a positive experience with one person, the ripple effect hopefully will be that they will do the same for the next person they interact with, and so on and so on, changing the lives of many people found in the ripples. Conversely, a negative interaction with the initial person might trigger undesirable ripples, setting off a chain of events that will detract from peoples' lives and not enrich them. You have the power to change so many lives, and even the world, with a positive attitude.
Four Ways to Create a Positive Ripple
So how can you create a positive ripple with the people you interact with every day? Here are four ways to create a positive, powerful ripple:
- Acknowledge somebody: Lift your head up from your phone and acknowledge the existence of other people. A simple smile, or nod, and maybe even a wave to demonstrate you acknowledge that person can go a long way.
- Appreciate somebody: We tend to hold back our appreciation for folks, and not express that we appreciate their gifts to the world or our lives. Take the time to show somebody you appreciate them, make it genuine and not forced, and you could send that person on a positive path that day.
- Advise somebody: Help somebody become a better version of themselves, or make it through a tough time, or solidify their future with sound financial advice. When you do this, you not only create change for that individual, but it provides you with a great feeling you can’t get anywhere else. Get this feeling, and continue the positive ripples throughout your day that will reach so many!
- Admire somebody: Show someone that you admire them for who they are and what they give to the world. Genuine admiration for someone, and demonstrating it, can make all the difference in someone feeling needed and important, leading them on a positive path emotionally, physically, and mentally. Admiration for someone equals more positive ripples, but you have to show it, and stop holding back.
For me, repeating the word “ripple” reminds me that the interactions that I have with people can cast a positive or negative ripple effect that could reach for miles, or lives in this case. Changing the world sounds extreme, but just imagine if every person approached interactions with others in this manner and tried to always provide a positive ripple. Call me sappy if you wish, but I think the world could be a better place when full of positive RIPPLES!
This blog was written by Tony Maloney, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.