The Ripple Effect

Recently I’ve been thinking a great deal about the impact that people have on our lives.  I was reminded of this by a quote from noted psychologist, Dr. Henry Cloud in his book entitled Integrity who shares a concept he calls, “The Wake”.  

He says that one of his favorite things to do is to sit on the aft deck of a boat going across the water and just watch the wake…the beautiful, ever-changing creation that a boat makes as it plows through the water.

He goes on to say, that, “You can tell a lot about a boat as you look at its wake.  If the wake is a straight line, you get the feeling that the boat is steady and on course.  If it’s smooth and flat, you know something about the speed of the boat, and if the wake is steep, you can tell something about the boat’s drag. 

In other words, what the wake looks like can tell you a lot about the boat itself.”

Well, the same thing is true with people.  Just as a boat creates a wake as it plows through the water, a person leaves a two-sided wake as they move through this world and touch the lives of others.  

The two sides of the wake we leave behind are the tasks we fulfill and the relationships that we create.  It’s those tasks and relationships that create the ripple effect that can leave an indelible impact on the lives of others.

I was reminded of this recently when I came across a brief video entitled Ripple that illustrates this point in a wonderful way.  When you have six minutes in your schedule, I think you’ll enjoy this poignant story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMnEP2DYfmI