Monday, February 11, 2008

Revealing Ripple Quote

Based on Friday night's post, I thought it appurtenant that this landed in my inbox this morning.

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

E.E. Cummings


It was sent by someone who truly believes in me. It's with great gratitude and belief in you that I just had to share it with you this morning.

Now go out and do amazing things this week. Not because you have to but because you can!

Ripple On!!!

3 comments:

Arlin K. Pauler said...

Steve:
There truly is no greater thing one Human Being can give to another than the gift of validation. It seems to me this gift is a central feature of the way of being you advocate with the “Ripple Effect” philosophy. And in doing so, it is one of the consistent “Ripples” you make with your own Life.
While there are many of us – “Well-Being Agents” – living with this kind of purpose, I wonder how many of us really get it. Get the full significance of the act of validating people as “valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch”. This is the Ripple of all Ripples. This is the “bottom of the bucket” of all goodness in Life. Validation sparks a sense of our own goodness out of which our acts of goodness come.
And yet, it seems to me we have to work at being mindful of the importance of this reality. We seem to loose track of the significance of our power to create goodness in the world with just the incredibly simple act of validating the authenticity of a fellow Human Being – “Rippling”.
When we validate the authenticity of a fellow Human Being we create a spark of self validation with in them. This eventually “starts a fire” of Self validation. The “Boss” may well have had another connotation in mind with his “This gun’s for hire”. However, I think I’m taking poetic license here that he would agree with.
If I get it right, what you advocate with the “Ripple Effect” thing is to be a “gun for hire”. Be the “Spark” that “starts a fire” of Self validation. We just need to do it again, again, again. The world is a better place for it.
Or as you would put it, “Ripple” on my friend.
Arlin

Anonymous said...

Powerful words! I know most of your writing is geared toward the business world, but I can't help thinking how many kids would live more positively if the adults in their lives lived by these words.

Arlin K. Pauler said...

Terri:
How right you are.
Because of the very point you make I believe "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness". So let us do what we can for the children we encounter so at least they will live a more positve Life.
Have a fun and fulfilling day, Arlin.