Three Reasons Why Small Things Can Have A Big Impact
HAPPY MLK DAY! I delayed my normal Sunday posting one day in order to commemorate the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the work that he did that continues on today. For everything, we THANK YOU. Most of us (myself included) know we won’t change the world like that, because not all of us were destined to be an epic real-life hero written about in the history books. But that’s ok. His actions have inspired many of us to be brave, to stand up for what is right, and to be better. Therefore, I will be discussing three reasons why even the small things can make a big impact in our world.
It Really is the Little Things
1. Sometimes the smallest decisions can have life-altering effects.
Edward Norton Lorenz discovered something known as the Butterfly Effect which also was an early thought line into Chaos theory and led to additional developments in statistical forecasting practices. When pulling this concept out of science and reviewing its mainstream use, it is a theory that even the most minor things we do can have lasting, life-altering impacts. At first thought that feels like a lot of pressure, and it many ways, it is. However, it is also pretty neat to think about how everything can tie together and the tiny, seemingly mundane things in life can matter.
To bring this thought to life, I’ll give you an example. One random Wednesday night 16(ish) years ago, I walked into a bar I’d never been to and sang a karaoke song. Seemingly little thing, right? That little decision led to a job offer to run DJ/karaoke shows which was integral to helping me find confidence to sing in front of others, which eventually led to me becoming a singer-songwriter.
But wait, there’s more. That job led to a Friday night when a random guy I’d met while I was working the week before decided to bring his friend along to karaoke the following Friday night while I was working. And he proceeded to introduce me to said friend. Why did he bring his friend to meet a girl he’d just met the week before? That I don’t know. But that friend he brought in ended up being the guy I married shortly thereafter. Life is strange in the way things work out sometimes.
Lots of tiny little decisions, and without any one of them occurring, things would not have ended up as they did. So, as you can see, that one night I made a completely tiny decision to randomly walk into a bar and sing a karaoke song literally changed the course of my entire life.
2. Together we can make a big impact.
All those little things we do in our lives matter. If we send as much love out into the world as possible, it spreads. There is this concept Pastor John Fuller of Prairie Lakes Church often discusses about how we are called to make a difference in our “Little Iowa” that I have always found extremely insightful. It resonates with me (and many of us) because it feels actually doable. Trying to change the world? That is super overwhelming and many of us will give up before we give it a real try. Instead, start with your little community circle, whatever that looks like.
Trying to make the lives of those around us (i.e. our family, next-door neighbors, team members at work, circle of friends, etc.) better? That we can do! Very cool, right? As the Dalai Lama said, “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” This is because life isn’t just one big thing, but instead it’s a billion little things all inter-woven together which tell the story. And all those little decisions we make, day after day? They really add up.
3. What you can see today doesn’t measure how it matters for tomorrow.
We won’t get to see everything we do come to fruition in the course of our lifetimes. Sometimes the groundwork gets laid for others to continue it. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Often you are accomplishing much more than you can see at the moment.” Many times, it is a collaborative effort by many people which makes the biggest things possible.
For a simplified example of this, look at the process of building a home. When workers come in and dig a hole in the ground for the foundation, they are just doing a job. They pour the cement and move along to the next job, and most often they never see the finished product of the house that foundation supports. Repeat this process of every worker along the way until we fast-forward to the family that moves into the home and makes memories while living in that house for the next 30 years. Without that initial foundation worker’s skill, those people wouldn’t be living in that home.
Therefore, the impacts we have today build upon the impacts that all those others have that follow us. This is why what we see today isn’t the full measure of how much it matters for tomorrow. Though we often don’t get to see how all those little stories end, they would not have been able to happen as they did if it hadn’t been for each one of us. Together, we matter.
From Little Ripples to Waves of Change
We each have certain roles to play in life and in the lives of those we encounter. What is important to remember is sometimes we are that person that makes all the difference to another person, who makes all the difference to someone else, and so on. There is a ripple effect that eventually becomes clear. And if we all stand up for what is right and work together, those little ripples can make lasting waves of change.
Questions, comments, or just need to chat? Send me a direct message via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
Cheers until next time,
Crystal
