The Ripple Effect

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Gandhi famously once said. Most of us have seen or heard this quote before in our classrooms and offices. Perhaps the abundance of inspiring quotes thrown around has pushed us to disregard its meaning. Something that’s meant to be meaningful has wistfully lost its meaning and instead has turned into a cliché. It’s not that surprising as we’re overexposed to most things due to our constant screen exposure and the accessibility of the internet.

I think it’s natural to look outside oneself when imagining how the world should change. The atmosphere continues to heat up, a pandemic is our reality, corporations are too money-hungry, people are lost in a virtual space – where’s the humanity? How can we change anything? The reality is that we have to look within ourselves first. Most of us are not brilliant scientists or billionaire entrepreneurs and we have to start small.

It comes down to positivity.

According to The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, our behaviour and mood is actually contagious and can spread to the people around us. Scientists have found that some of our brain cells are responsible for mimicking the feelings, actions, and physical sensations of another person. That is why, sometimes, when we see others get a paper cut or stub their toe – we actually feel their pain. Although it can be hard to think about others given that we are extremely goal-oriented and we live in a very individualistic culture here in North America, we are actually more connected than we think. Our moods not only transfer to the people that we’re close with, but they can transfer that same mood to their own families and friends as well. Our brains are constantly processing the feelings of the people around us and can quickly match their moods.

By instilling a sense of optimism and positivity within ourselves – we can create a ripple effect. It can be as easy as smiling at a stranger or letting someone cut in front of you in traffic or encouraging a friend’s business idea. It may not seem like a big deal but a small act of kindness or a word of encouragement could quite literally be lifechanging to someone you may not even know.

But being positive all the time is not possible, and it doesn’t seem right to pretend to be happy — to avoid feeling. Positivity is the goal but only when it’s real.  

When you’re already in a good mood, it’s easy to radiate positivity. I think the hard part is regulating the negative moods – recognizing and changing from a negative viewpoint to a positive one. That doesn’t mean to pretend to be happy, that means to actually find something to be happy about in the current moment. It comes down to our thoughts and actions, which are constantly shaping and reshaping the neural pathways in our brains, according to The Happiness Advantage. Where our focus goes, our energy flows. If we’re looking at our current situation in defeat, like nothing could help us in this moment – then nothing will. Easier said than done. I sometimes find myself falling into a hole that I can’t dig out of. Something upsets me and then I seek out more things that upset me to account for my bad mood. It feels easier to sulk than to spend that energy finding resolutions. I do think it’s necessary to process one’s emotions when something is upsetting, which can involve sulking, but actively seeking out negativity is wrong. It’s important to feel, and to feel everything greatly, but it is just as important not to fall down this hole of negativity.

To avoid this hole, we can start by looking at our day-to-day habits. What are we thinking about? What are we doing? Are our thoughts constantly negative? Do we have a negative inner monologue? Are we spending our time wisely and consciously? Are we too influenced by social media? Are we running away from ourselves?

Because our neural pathways in our brains are constantly changing, we can rewire ourselves to look at things in a more positive light by starting with small, easy habits like talking to ourselves positively and using our time throughout the day to better ourselves and for meaningful interactions with the people we love. By surrounding yourself with positivity, it becomes easier to see that most things are not worth the energy to get upset over. Then, by radiating this sense of positivity you are not only changing yourself, but you are changing the lives of the people around you and potentially lives of people you don’t even know. It is pretty easy to think that we are just small specks in this universe and what we do doesn’t really matter. But changing the world doesn’t require recognition. It is in the small moments – in the way you can bring light into your life and into the lives of others. All it takes is one step forward to start a wave of positivity. I believe that the world can change if we change and it actually comes down us, the small specks in this universe.

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Carving One’s Path

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To be human