Accidental Impact

We think that the ripples we leave on others lives will come from the big memorable moments.

Often times our real impact on others comes from the little interactions that slip under our radar.

The most profound thing you’ve said to someone was likely just another comment you made in a conversation.

You don’t know who your next best friend is going to be. You don’t know what face you see for the first time that is going to become your favorite to look at. You don’t know which hug with a loved one is going to be the last.

The people who have shaped me into who I am today were all strangers at one point. Now, I am a combination of all the people I’ve ever loved and who have ever loved me.

The reality is I am also changed from the pain I have experienced. Pain I have caused myself, and pain caused to me by others. It’s profound to think about the fact that I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for all the specific things I have gone through interacting in the exact way they did, and yet it is also the most simple thing ever.

When I question the impact I have on others, I look for these big things. I feel as though there most be some sort of secret scoreboard for how significant different interactions were, when, in reality, we often miss that the most important things are the little moments lived together.

Don’t underestimate the kind comment you made to a stranger, or the thinking of you text you sent a friend. We never know the wave of impact our actions have on others.