How far does its domino effect reach?
It can even go beyond those you talk to. The people you affect share what you’ve said with their contacts. You touch people without even knowing them! Touching people without knowing them is the flip side of you being touched by people you’ve never met. Parents often have an affinity for people they have never met who say loving things to their children. On a larger scale, people with more public personality can have wide influence. With these people it is easy to make yourself small, diminishing your own effect when compared to someone with a greater reach. In reality, everyone affects everyone else. The effect can be positive, shocking, lasting or moving. What effect do you have?
Ripples may come from your reading this. A recipient of my March newsletter showed my Apolo Ohno article to his son. The son was intrigued by Apollo’s yawning before he competed, so he checked it out on YouTube.com for himself. Now the son, who plays baseball, yawns before going to bat. And his batting average has improved! That’s a wave from Apollo and the bulletin.
There is the story of the teacher who… and often you can only fill in the blank. There is the specific story of the teacher who had all the students write positive adjectives about everyone in the class. The teacher transcribed them for each student. One student carried that list in his wallet all his life. This is the power of recognition. This is an effect that the teacher had on that student.
Everyday conversations can also have waves. How often do you walk away thinking about something the person you were talking to just said? You deliberate over the words and can even go back and ask the person for clarification. You go back because what that person said is still in your mind. The person who said it has usually moved on and is surprised to hear any reference to what was said. The loudspeaker had an effect.
You have a domino effect with those in your circle. People often like to hear about this effect. To take this from the other side, many have had a ripple effect on you. How much joy would you feel in sharing the effect others have on you with those people? Of those people, with whom could you share your appreciation today? You may think that time has passed and that it was too long ago. If you still appreciate the effect, today is the perfect day to share. If you give more gratitude for the ripple effects you have received, you may receive more appreciation for the ripple effects you have created. Or maybe you just feel the joy of coming full circle and expressing your appreciation.
You have a domino effect. How far does its domino effect reach?
