Small Movement and Large Impact

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

There are many different ways it can be said. Poems of eloquent oration speak from the heart of its meaning. The written word from scriptures bear centuries old beliefs in its powerful truth. Many a performer has sung its praises and quotes from the wise speak to reinforce it.

What I speak of is, "the peace that you give, will be given unto you."

It is an old belief that when you give of yourself to others, when you make things better for them, you will receive much more in return. Very simplistic some would say. Simple can be very powerful in the bigger picture of life.

As you go through life, the big things are clear most times. They are well defined with a lot of well documented results. Yet it is the small things in life when added together outweigh all of the big things.

Your impact upon others in little increments ultimately add up into a large impact.

Think of small bad things in life, the ones you fail to act upon. Little things slowly collecting until they create a huge collapse. You have seen it happen to others and you have seen it occur in your own life.

Well the opposite can happen in positive moments and touches upon the lives of others. The small things add up over time into large ones. You serve in goodness to those around you, being a positive force upon others.

Change is gradual but watch as it grows.

In time you will see your life change for the better. Others will begin to act in a positive way upon your own life. Yes, the peace you bring to others will be brought upon you.

All you need to do is be the one to create a small movement.

Stay inspired my friends.

Its A Small World After All

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."
- Mother Teresa

Just how big is our earth? Watch this video to put it into perspective.



Do we still feel small? Of course not because even the smallest can have a large impact upon that which surrounds it.

Our sun is small in comparison to the larger objects in our universe but it has a tremendous impact upon our lives. The moon is small in comparison to the Earth, but it impacts the tides of our oceans. And the stars in the night sky seem small in our eyes, but they inspire great artists and the dreams of many a child.

We might feel small, but our ability to impact others on a large scale does not require a large object.

It requires a large desire.

Stay inspired my friends!

Friday Favorite - Shrinking the Sea

I work for EMC Corporation and our yearly customer conference called EMC World is nearing once again. For a Friday Favorite, I am re-posting a very popular article I wrote back in 2010. I hope you enjoy it as well.

"I think people are isolated because of the nature of human consciousness, and they like it when they feel the connection between themselves and someone else."
- James Taylor

Here I sit on the third full day of EMC World, a yearly technology conference put on by the company I work for. Many of us assist, present and meet with customers to give them more detail on our products and services. This year is no different with a large turn out of people. there are roughly 7,000 people roaming the Boston Convention Center this particular day.

There is always something new and exciting which happens at an event this large. Sometimes stressful, sometimes exhilarating and sometimes just tiring. But the experience is always enjoyable because of the people.

With such a large crowd of people moving about, you can begin to feel like a small boat out in the middle of a very large ocean.

Miles from the shore or miles from anyone you know; it can result in feeling very much alone.

Yet there is an expectation you just might run into someone you haven't seen in a long time. A familiar face suddenly appearing within the crowd with a smile intended just for you. It can lift even the most weather beaten individual. All at once comfort in this large crowd occurs and you become connected.

Within this large sea of people, there is also opportunity to lift and inspire other people. A chance exists to do something in their life, to make a connection and not leave them alone out in the vastness of crowd. These people can become new friends, new influence in your life or be pushed to a higher level of greatness.

Conventions can be a workload to some, but to me it is a chance to connect with others. It is an opportunity to make a difference, large or small in the lives of other people.

And it doesn't simply happen at conventions.

The ocean is large and vast, so is your life and the influence you carry each day.

Whether it be at EMC World, your job, in school or at the grocery store; connecting with others can have a significant impact. You can be the one that changes the life of another person with a simple smile and hello.

Approach each day believing that someone in the crowd is waiting for you. Waiting for you to be that friendly face with a smile just for them.

When you do, that large and expansive sea of people will become a little smaller.

To those at EMC World, enjoy the final two days and do not lose this chance to connect with someone new. Change their day and next year at EMC World in Las Vegas, you just might see that familiar face in the crowd smiling back at you.

Stay inspired my friends!

Perfect Game

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." ~ Mother Teresa

A baseball pitcher named Roy Halladay became only the second person to ever throw a no-hitter in post-season play on October 5, 2010. It was quite an accomplishment when you look at the history of baseball. It was made even more amazing because on May 29 of that same year, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

As they say, "27 up, 27 down" for a perfect game.

So what does pitching a no-hitter in baseball have to do with living a great life? Most certainly having that level of talent brings adulation and lots of money which helps make life more comfortable. But this story has to do with the person behind the talent; their character is what makes this a great story.

Roy Halladay did more than just receiving acclaim for his accomplishments.

After pitching the perfect game in May that year, he arranged to commemorate the accomplishment of a perfect game. Halladay presented roughly sixty Swiss-made Baume and Mercier watches he had purchased to everyone in the clubhouse. Each watch was presented in commemorative boxes bearing the inscription,

"We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay."

To top it off, each watch was engraved with the date of the game, the line score, and the individual recipient's name. And if you are not aware, there are only nine players on the field at any one time. He gave out sixty of these gifts which were not just given to his fellow ballplayers.

These sixty people were the coaches, the trainers, and down to what may seem to be the most insignificant people to some. But not to Roy, he understood and acknowledged that even the smallest have a large impact on our success in life.

Your own life involves both ends of this spectrum.

While you toil away at something, you may feel insignificant in what you do. But know that even the smallest flower along the roadside serves a grand purpose. The nectar a bee consumes, which creates food for the hive yet sustains the bee to carry on the pollination of other plants. The smallest flower is involved in the circle that will carry life forward.

And if when we achieve greatness in our life, remember and acknowledge all the other people who helped you accomplish it. For without others, our accomplishments are hard to achieve. Without the smallest flowers, the bee has less to draw upon. In time, the bee will not have the ability to sustain its grand work.

The largest depend upon the small as do the small upon the largest.

Know that your life is never too big to have done so on your own. Nor is your life too small not to have an impact on the life of others. Not all of us can pitch a no-hitter, but each of us can make a difference in the life of another. And when we impact the lives of other people, its as good as having a "27 up and 27 down" great life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Person of Importance

"The significance of a man is not in what he attains, but rather what he longs to attain." -Kahlil Gibran

We can feel pretty small in what some may call the "grand scheme" of life. We can tend to feel awfully insignificant with all that goes on around us. Take for instance the size of the earth. The planet Jupiter is eleven times larger than our living planet earth. And that giant object which sustains us, the Sun, is 109 times larger than the planet earth.

It can really start to make us feel small.

But each of us are important and significant within the realm of our life. To those in our life, our family, our friends and those we come in contact with every day. It sounds very much like the Frank Capra movie called "Its a Wonderful Life" but it is true; you do matter.

All that you do has impact either good or bad. You get to choose which it is going to be. My hope is that you will make the good choices. And know that you are a person of importance.

Stay inspired my friends.