Ripples

I am often graced with “ aha!” moments in Scott Perry’s Friday on Purpose Zoom calls. And no wonder, the amount of talent, compassion and wisdom that emanates from that group of people is astounding.

This week the topic was “the snapshot is not the movie” (my takeaway: this moment in time does not define our days, weeks, months, or lives. We need a longer view to get a good grip on where we are in our journey.) And I believe I had way more than an “aha!” - I had a full blown epiphany.

Lately I have had the extraordinary luck to design my days so I am doing a lot more of what I want to do (read, write, garden, hike) and less of what absolutely does not fill my cup (networking, marketing, shopping, scrolling, stressing…). And really I have to thank this new slower paced life I recently adopted because it allows me the time and freedom to do the things that really matter to me. Instead of cramming my day with “should’s” I fill it with “get to’s”.

Sounds wonderful, right? So then why am I cursed with niggling thoughts that keep me up at night, like: Why have I been feeling like I’m not doing enough Is this slow life lifestyle may help me a lot, but is it actually contributing to the betterment of the world? Am I being (gasp!) selfish?

So at the Friday on Purpose call I explained how I felt guilty living my ideal life because I wasn’t going out and doing big things in the world. I was acting “small and selfish” in doing the things that just make me happy. And perhaps I would do best to give up pursuing this ideal “slow life*” and do something big, even if it requires returning to a busy, fast paced lifestyle. In other words, the snapshot of my life may be totally framable, but is the movie worth watching?

Their response left me speechless. “What you’re doing may not feel like big important work, but if it helps you it can help others,” they told me. It’s a “ripple effect” where seemingly small actions inspire other people to move in the same direction, and they go on to inspire others and so on ad infinitum.

That’s when the epiphany hit: just by living my ideal life in full and out loud, I am making a positive impact on the world. Because a slow life is not only healthier for me and the planet, it makes me happier and creates room for stronger relationships and deeper meaning - things many people spend a lifetime striving for. And maybe just one person will be inspired to try the same, and then they inspire someone else and so on until many people are living happier, healthier lives. That’s a pretty big difference.

So forget metrics, accolades and comparing myself to others because my impact is not something I can control. Just do my thing and let the ripple effect work it’s magic.

Have a wonderful week.

Cheers,

Katherine

*check out this post for what I mean by “slow living”.