“Just as ripples spread out when a pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching impacts”

Dalai Lama

Traveling again

I was traveling recently for work; I know rare these days, right?

Anyway, I had an experience that reminded me how important it is to take the time to see people and have an awareness of their needs.

I was seeking breakfast, and the only place open, given the restrictions, was a deli. I had finished my morning walk, and at 7 am, when they opened, promptly walked in, starving for food.

I had been to this deli the day before, so I knew what the options were and could order right away.

Observe and you will see

As I entered the young man operating the counter was halfway towards the drink machine, to get a cup of soda. When he saw me come, he immediately turned around and headed back. And I immediately said, please get your drink because I have to figure out what I want.

This young man was so relieved and happy, but he was also surprised that a customer would be accommodating.

Ripples

He comes back, takes my order, and all I have is my phone, and they don’t take Apple Pay. He said, don’t worry about it, I got this for you.

Well, I thanked him but declined and said I could be right back with my credit card, just put the order on hold and I will be right back.

Behind me was a man, quite impatient, and I saw him roll his eyes at the blonde with no money. He started moving side to side. I didn’t let it phase me. I just finished my conversation, thanked the young man, and went to get my credit card.

When I returned and paid, he not only had my order in the works but when it was ready and I was over getting my coffee, he walked it over to me and said Ms. Samantha, I have your breakfast and gave me a big smile. I thanked him again and wished him a great day.

Another man standing next to me looked at me, surprised like he wanted to know why I was getting such treatment. He then started talking to me in a friendly way!

5 ways to make a difference to others

Here are five things that we can all do to slow down, observe others, and show compassion and kindness.

1. Remember that you’re not the center of the universe. Your time is no more valuable than anyone else’s.
2. See people, really see them. If they have a basic need, try to ensure that need is met, even if it is just being patient.
3. We are all human and need to remember that the gift of our humanity is compassion and kindness
4. It takes no extra time to be kind. This is a lesson my mum taught me and ingrained in me.
5. Don’t be a jerk period. Don’t make someone else’s day crappy because of your attitude. It is easier to uplift others.
   

Slow it down

When we rush hither and yon, we miss the moments where compassion, patience, and kindness will have a ripple effect.

That young man was not a morning person, but he was working and trying to be. He was so courteous and reminded me of one of my nephews at his age. Just a young man, working at adulting 🤣

Final thoughts

Spend time thinking about the ripples you are creating in the world around you. Are they ripples that will be part of your legacy, your story that you’re proud of? Are you braving the world with compassion and kindness, or are you stomping through it like an ogre?

Light will always cast out the darkness, and darkness will always try to push out the light.

The world is in turmoil on so many levels, and it can be overwhelming as to what impact a single person can have.

I believe if enough individual send out positive ripples, we will cast out the creeping darkness and lift all humanity.

Keep Shining Brightly!

Samantha

Views my own.

Follow me on:
Twitter: @SamanthaJohnson
LinkedIn: LinkedIn/in/samanthab2
Facebook: @loudlyImperfect

Our ability to reach unity and diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.

Mahatma Gandhi

When I was a child, my favorite doll was Barbie. She was so cool. She had a plane, a convertible, and a camper. My best friend, Darrin, played the part of Ken, my assistant.

Darrin and I would play for hours and hours, taking on adventures, jet setting around the world and flying down the street in the convertible. There was nothing that we could not do and accomplish.

Continue reading “A Playful Heart Builds Equity”

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

Not So Long Ago…

I grew up with a rotary phone, a long cord, and an endless struggle with my parents and brother on who gets to use the phone and for how long.

By the time I got to college, we had this thing called a laptop that we had to use.

It was the size of a suitcase, heavy as a 50lb weight and closed shut like a clam.

Continue reading “Five Ways to Become a Continuous Learner”

Sometimes you gotta take a break from all the noise to appreciate the beauty of silence.

Robert Tew

Why?

I started my blog for many reasons. I love to write, I want to help others, I want to share my imperfect life as a way to show imperfection is more than ok, and it also renews my positivity.

Acknowledging when you need to pause

As I began to transition out of a company I have worked at for over 23 years, and started another job at a new company, I had to step back for a few weeks until I could find my new cadence.

Continue reading “Five ways to give yourself a break”

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”

Helen Keller

Starting to Shine…

When I started putting out daily positive messages and starting this blog, I was clear in my intent, and that was to uplift those around me in any way I could.

I was constantly barraged with negativity, in the news, my social channels, and at work. The only peace I seemed to have was at home, where I refused to let negativity reside.

One day, as I was pondering how I was managing to feed positivity at home but not anywhere else, I realized that I had very different boundaries and expectations.

It was as if the only thing I could control was my home life, and everything else was a wasteland of negativity. It bandied about without a care, like some amorphous monster you battled daily.

As I began, it was clear to me that every day, in addition to positivity, I should remind people to shine brightly! To cast off the dullness of life and reconnect with their inner sparkles. Some may think the idea of internal sparkles a bit crackers, but if you look deep, it is there. It wants to be fed, and it wants to blaze forward.

Believing…

I was so worn down by negativity; I honestly wasn’t sure I could make a difference. But I knew that my core wiring was optimistic, positive, and affirming. I had to try, and the first step was believing it to be true before it ever was.

I visualized a positive impact. I awoke with positive energy, and the messages were there. It was just welling up waiting to be put to a post. It was quite remarkable.

I kept at it, day after day, and slowly, people started mentioning that they had seen one of my posts and how it positively started their day. It was so affirming and humbling to hear, and see the positive impact that I had dreamed about making, be realized.

10 Ways to Shining Brightly…

1. Decide to be positive and stick to it. Be mindful and listen to your self-talk and the talk of others. If you are negative, consciously correct yourself and redirect to positive. It will feel very uncomfortable at first. Your inner monologue will be quite stilted. “This is the worst,” Wait Full Stop reframe, “this could be an interesting direction.”
2. Disconnect, unfollow, banish all negativity on your social media channels. This includes: News that is biased, negative people, body shaming, people that complain as their craft… you get the point. For every 1 you unfollow, choose two positive topics or people to follow. This will improve your ratio of positivity.
3. Set clear expectations with your family and friends. We all have that one person that if they saw a beautiful bouquet, they would say something like, “shame to waste the money on what is only going to die.” Takes the stuffing right out of you. PURGE the negative people from your life
4. Set clear expectations at work. We all have those negative co-workers that love to complain, gossip, and stand about in a gaggle of toxicity. They will work hard to pull you in. You want to be polite and fit in, so you join in and then feel horrible after 3 minutes. ESCAPE at all costs!! The damage to your psyche is not worth it. Find the positive group, they are out there, but albeit in a smaller group.
5. Smile! It is very simple; when you smile, you feel better; those around you feel better and more positive energy will be created.
6. Say Thank You. Appreciate everyone’s contribution and find ways to say thank you and well done. Again it is fuel for positivity!
7. Affirm others. Everyone likes to feel valued for what they do. In addition to thank you, find ways to boost others up with authentic feedback. “Mary, that was such a great presentation. I can tell how hard you worked on it, and I appreciate the effort”. I was reminded recently of the concept to fill other people’s buckets. It is so simple and conveys so much.
8. Celebrate. Much like thank you and affirmation, celebrate success. Small wins are enormous wins on the way to building the momentum needed for a massive win. It will catch on. One day I told a team #woohoo for getting a difficult project task completed. It wasn’t the largest, but it was the first small win. It stuck, and it became a fun acknowledgment, and something teams would want to hear.
9. Radiate Positivity. The more positive you are, the more positive everything you do will be surrounded by positivity.
10. Kindness. Choose to be kind in all that you do and say. What we say, how we say it, and the way we act impact others lives. Impact them with kindness.
    

I want to dig a little deeper into #7 Affirmation and the notion of filling buckets. When I learned this concept, it was focused on filling others buckets with positivity, encouragement, and kindness. And the more you filled the bucket, the sooner it would overflow and spill back onto others and even yourself.

In a business setting, it can be hard to fathom a concept like that, because of the need to achieve, hit high goals, and navigate office politics. However, you can do all that and have a higher chance of success if you look for ways to lift others up and build thriving teams and relationships.

Everyone wants to be positively encouraged in some way.

Final Thoughts

So much of our lives are influenced by the choices we make and the filters we use to see those choices.

It is a choice to shine brightly every day because, in that, you are choosing not to be negative. It is a choice to lift others.

Sometimes the most seemingly innocuous things become the ones that stick. I never thought Shine Brightly would become my tagline so many months ago, as I typed it for the first time. I just felt right. But as I said my goodbyes to my old job in a post, so many people posted a comment with “continue to shine brightly.”

Don’t only stand in the sun, create the bright warmth that sunlight brings and Shine Brightly!

Samantha