Here’s the thing, you can never know all the ripples of what you do and who you interact with.

By ripples I mean effects.  The effects you have on others.  How you touch others’ lives.

We have a pretty good idea from the feeling we have when we are engaging with someone how they’re receiving what we’re saying or doing BUT we rarely know the things they do or don’t do, as a result.

Why am I commenting on this today?  

Well, I have had a number of ripples played back to me recently and they’ve made me both inspired and emotional in equal measures.

• I received a note earlier this week from a client I worked with last year saying she took on all the interview guidance we discussed, put herself forward for the role she wanted when it came up and has just been appointed… I had to look her up in my records to remind me of when/what etc we discussed.  She has been working with the guidance and used it for good, nearly a year on.
• Yesterday I was interviewed for a podcast by an ex-client.  We discussed ‘Busting The Imposter Syndrome‘ (when it’s ready I’ll include the link in a future eZine).   Through our work together nearly 10 years ago, Karen met another client of mine at the time and together they’ve been building a successful business together.  She’s also had the clarity to step away from the daily corporate grind and landed Non-Exec roles which light her up.  All this started, she told me, via the ripples of our work and my somewhat confronting style…

• At an event a few months ago, a women came up to me all bright eyed and a bit shy. She wanted to tell me how a talk I gave in her organisation about driving your own career bus forward inspired her to do just that. Quickly.  A promotion and a pay rise have recently followed.  We hugged and had a happy ‘go you’ moment!

None of these examples are written here to impress you.  

I’ve shared them with you to encourage you to consider how you touch others’ lives.   How the ripples of what you do and say really count.  You just won’t always know how much…or if you’ll hear, when!?  It’s doesn’t matter…

• The words of encouragement you offer.
• The few moments of generous and constructive feedback
• The sharing of your own tough time at times so they feel it’s not just them
• The decision to mentor others when you don’t ‘really’ have the time
• The quick call to thank someone for something ‘that was their job’ but it touched you
• The acknowledgment of someone in a support role who can be taken for granted (see Usain Bolt being the advocate and demonstrator of just that here)
• The effects go on without you but you gave someone something to think about or believe in or do – or stop doing – and what they do with it is theirs…

A final word on the matter…

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 And in other news…

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My 3 besties came for the weekend and they all know each other through me AND are now all friends independently of me. More ripples and I just love that.  We chatted, laughed, cried a bit and drank Champagne in equal measures…  The one I’ve known the least longest I’ve known for over 30 years.  The one the longest, 50 years.