Dear Money Saving Lords & Ladies –
Oh how I wish that I could tell you your actions only affect you.
That life occurs in a vacuum.
And that what you do today won’t affect your tomorrow {or anyone else’s tomorrow}.
But good or bad, our actions have consequences. They ripple out into the lives around us.
And the actions of others? They ripple right back at us too.
So my question today is, “Whose wave pool are you playing in?”
And conversely, “Who are you letting splash you?”
The temptation exists to think that our lives are inconsequential. That we’re daily tasked with doing the mundane while greater individuals get to have all of the fun. And granted, we might ever get to scale Mount Everest {come to think of it, I saw a documentary on that once it and it did NOT look like fun} or hear a stadium of people chanting our names.
Often when you’re a mama of littles, lies and whispers creep into your ears.
“You can’t do anything right.”
“It will never be enough.”
“Everyone can do that.”
It’s simply not true. With grace, you have the potential for greatness.
You can allow your story to ripple and change the lives of others.
In our living room, hangs this canvas:
A little less than a year ago, the people who came to our debt free party signed it celebration of the slaying of the debt dragon. In the last 2 months, I have been overwhelmingly reminded of the power of ripples. Three of the families that signed the canvas are now debt free themselves. One is close to paying off their final credit card. Another just invited us to their mortgage burning party.
These are the ripples I want to feel. These are the people I choose to surround myself with daily. These are the words I allow into my ears and the people who get ink-penned into our calendar.
Everyone has a story. Everyone’s story ripples.
What waves are you feeling and sending forth?
I always feel led to tell our financial story, because I know how often I assume things about other people only to find out how wrong I really was. I want people to know how we struggled for so long, the joys we feel today, and the difficulties we still face, so that they can relate somehow and see what the future can hold. I know you inspire so many in the same way.
Working at The Container Store, you realize quickly how weird and quirky the CEO is (the same kind of quirky I would use to describe Dave Ramsey). Our founder, Kip, talks a lot about conscious capitalism, and one of his big things he stresses us as employees to remember is our “wake.” Everything we do and don’t do impacts the people around you far more than you realize. It’s great advice for business, and even better advice for life. Your ripple, my wake, they affect people. I always want to make sure I’m impacting them positively.
That is awesome. It really can be as simple as a hello that someone receives, an e-mail, a card, the purchases we make, or even cutting someone off in traffic. Our reach expands so much further than we’ll ever know in this life.
Thanks for your kind words! And I’m reminded that many of those who signed our canvas {like you} were already debt free and cheering us to the finish line. More ripples. 🙂
Thanks so much for all that you share. I think you are definitely creating ripples and I know many people are being blessed because of it. I know that I am always encouraged by your stories.
This is great! I really strive to be a positive force in others lives, and to ignore (and pray for!) those who would try to bring me down. I definitely want to provide positive ripples for others – I want to reap what I sow!