The Ripple Effect: How Small Actions Lead to Big Changes
Tiny waves lead to big shifts
I had such a pronounced side bite as a young child that my eye drooped. Fortunately, my dentist gave me a brace to straighten my jaw before the bones set.
And it worked. I have a nice, straight jaw. Until I got angry. Years ago, I used to get angry a lot. Instantly, my jaw would shift to the side in my rage. My daughters tell me they used to shout, “Side bite, run for your life.”
Just as quickly as it appeared to arrive, my anger would fizzle away. I would look at the chaos around me and wonder why everyone wasn’t acting normally. After all, I’d said my piece, and it was finished.
I never considered the ripples that emanated from my outburst.
How often do you think about the ripple effect of your actions? The way you interact with yourself and others?
You have examples of this daily, yet you may not notice them. If you smile at a stranger on the street, does this change their day?
One of the attendees at a recovery group I ran told us how he’d got into a spiral of thinking about all the things he’d lost in his addiction, his family, his home and his business. He’d got so low that he seriously contemplated jumping off a bridge into the water below.
