Una's Blog

by Una Hearne.

If you knew for certain that something you were going to do or say would make someone’s life better, you’d just go ahead and do it – right?

What if you knew for a fact that smiling at the person on the checkout would make them feel better, would you spare them a smile?

If telling someone how great they are gave them the courage to go and do something brave and brilliant, would you choose to tell them?

If you knew you were influencing a child, just by the way you live and what you say, and if you knew they would grow up and made the world a better place, would you be conscious of living well and speaking thoughtfully?

If you knew that, even though your boss doesn’t notice you, you make every customer’s/patient’s/client’s life better , would you continue to do what you do even if you get no thanks?

What if you knew for a fact that everything you do and say matters and makes the world a little better or a little worse?

We affect every person we interact with. Every interaction, every day. And those people in turn affect everyone they interact with. Your impact on other people is real. You can’t have no effect on other people. Even if you feel invisible and unconnected, you are not. You can’t avoid being part of the human race.

Sometimes we get to see or hear about the impact we have. More often we will never know. Also, as we all know, sometimes the best of intentions have unforeseen or unwanted consequences, we can’t guarantee a positive direct results with anything we say or do. Nor can you measure the results of your words and actions since the web of human interactions is so fantastically complex it is extremely difficult to attribute cause and effect.

However it is a truism that what we put out into the world is generally what comes back to us. So one way of making sure we are having a positive effect is by observing our thoughts, words and actions over time and observing how we are generally received and treated by other people. You can definitely see and feel the effect or your behaviour over time.

However the single best way to ensure that the energy you put out into the world is positive, is by being very clear with yourself about your intentions. Our intentions dictate the effect we have. As one small example, think of the effect of someone who is teaching, with the intention of demonstrating they have superior knowledgeable and are therefore ‘better’ than others. Compare that with effect of a teacher who’s intention is to share their knowledge to empower others and enhance their lives.

Now I am not suggesting for a moment that we should all suddenly try to be saintly and positive and well intentioned every minute of our lives. We are human and we are not meant to be always positive or always happy or always saintly. But I wonder what would happen if we all cared a little more what we put out into the world? Just a little, to tip the balance.

 

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