How Are You Rippling?

Once a few years ago, while sitting at the bedside of a dying patient, as she spoke of the worthlessness of her life and that she would not be missed, I was reminded of the story about George Bailey in the 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Although this film is fictional, it resonated to viewers then and still now, because of the truth on which it focuses. The fact is each of us affects others in ways that we are largely unaware. What we use to judge our success or failure is what we eventually perceive through our five senses (for example, my actions – did they bring me more money; did they bring tears to someone’s eyes; did it bring another person closer to me; did they cause me to feel physically better or worse?).

What we are often unable to sense, directly, is the ripple of effect of our actions and the actions of others on us. Through my book, Brain Drain, and my weekly messages, I have urged my readers to do as I do and keep a daily magic journal. By keeping a daily magic journal, you begin to see that there are small ripple effects all around us that may be the results of someone else’s actions. While vacationing a few summers ago, our car hit a lot of traffic as we headed to the center of town. As we approached town, a family walked in front of us in the crosswalk. We stopped to let them pass. I watched the father walk by, he looked familiar to me. My eyes became focused and I recognized him as my college roommate whom I had not seen in over ten years! A few seconds either way would have disrupted that piece of daily magic. But what seemed to put it into motion was the life experience of all the other people who decided to head into town at the same time we did. Not to mention, think what had to happen in the day of my family and in the day of his family for our lives to intersect at that precise moment. A few seconds either way and we would have missed that opportunity to reconnect. Perhaps there was a person in the car in front of us who was feeling uninspired about life. Little did they know that their activities on that day, putting them one car in front of us, brought my family a lot of joy as we spent the rest of our vacation and the next year’s vacation with my former roommate’s family.

What frustrates most of us when we set forth to complete a project, start a new business, or pursue a creative idea, is that we do not see immediate results. Most of us have preconceived notions of what constitutes success or failure in an enterprise. “So what if my song made you cry, show me the money!” “So what if you think my book is great, show me Oprah!” When we think like this we engage our automatic brain, AB, and interrupt the possibility of seeing daily magic that will result as a ripple effect of our action.

Our mind will begin to bring to us all that is right for us when we do a few things.

1. Avoid preconceived notions of what success must look like.

2. Take action steps consistent with your individual strengths (not just think them)

3. Keep a daily magic journal and accept that your actions are creating a ripple effect somewhere in the world (or universe) that will bring to you the success that is just right for you

Thoughts don’t bring to us what is right for us. Thoughts are mostly generated by the automatic brain. However, just as thoughts are not tangible, neither is the ripple effect that is set forth in the world by your action. Right now people out there are reading my book or discussing a conversation we had or arriving late for an appointment because of my flat tire. Whatever is happening out there as a result of my action, I truly have no control of. What I can control is how I choose to proceed along my path. As I start my internet radio show on Spirit Quest Radio, I don’t know who might be listening. Regardless, I have decided to take an action step to further my journey. If I listen to my AB, I hear things as, “what kind of “radio” is that? It’s not a real radio station like WABC in NY.” Nevertheless, I choose to proceed along my path by not believing, trusting, or taking direction from my AB. I listen to the instinct of my mind which points me to this belief process: action in concert with my strengths leads to daily results, which fosters positive feelings and self-esteem, which fosters more positive mindful thoughts, which creates ripple effects (some we see, some we don’t), which creates more positive results, which helps to expose daily magic, which then fosters more belief in our mind and spirit, which helps us to create more action.

So, to get the results in life that are just right for you, accept that you are affecting the world around you in ways that you may not ever recognize. Know that the swirling energy that you are creating as a result of your actions will make it seem as though you are attracting things out of thin air. In essence, this daily magic that you begin to recognize is your creation, a direct result of who you are and what your life means to others.