Ripplers Know How To Be There

I don't know what it is but recently I have been faced with several situations where people have had unusually bad things happen to them. A business acquaintance who can't seem to land a job and the money is getting tight. A fan of my book and now good friend who just learned that their company will be making some job cuts and she is likely to be the next to go. The friend who just learned that his spouse has reconnected with an old flame and their marriage is on the rocks. Or a good friend who just this morning I learned had lost both of his parents and his father-in-law in an incredibly short amount of time and it had obviously taken its toll him.

It's in those moments when faced with the raw emotion and the fear of another person's predicament that many people retreat. Part of it is insecurity. Part of it is out of one's own fear. Part of it is out of some people's pure inability to empathize with another's plight. Part of it is people's inability to handle other people's stresses, personal or professional tragedies. They retract into the inner comforts of their own shell leaving the person in real need of an ear, a open heart or simply a hug, out in the cold alone and hurting.

I believe when faced with those kinds of moments it's a personal gut check for you. Do you have the power to elevate yourself beyond your own life's troubles to open your heart and mind for someone else. I for one can say that I haven't always had that ability. In fact there was a time in my life that I was downright selfish and almost petulant when faced with such situations. I had my own problems, my own issues and felt that polluting my own being with another's problems was impossible for me. Heck I couldn't find the answers to my own troubles, how on Earth would I be able to help someone else?

Until I did.

It began with a friend who was going through a divorce and simply unloaded one night over beers. I focused entirely on him and what this cocky self confident individual was really being reduced to because of his impending divorce. I just listened and was there for him. Maybe it was my willingness to stop and listen and just be there with and for someone who was facing a traumatic situation in their life that was the wake up call I really needed for my own life. I often think back to that moment and many others since and realize they were every bit the gut check moments that they are intended to be. Life was challenging me to help someone else fight through their situation and the only real question was...I am going to answer the bell or not.

Well I did and I since then I have realized that my heart has plenty of room to take on more. There is always room to welcome someone else into it and to simply be there when there is a need. I think Ripplers naturally know that the world is a bigger place then just themselves and the power to really be there for another in their hour, day, month, year or decade of need is one of the most incredible gifts we can offer.

So next time you are faced with the life opportunity of being there for another, simply ask say this:

"I am here for you. How can I help?"

You may just find that the bell that calls you into the fight has more to teach you than you ever expected. The good news is, your heart has plenty of room and can take all comers!

Ripple On!!!

Create The Life You Want By Rippling - Lesson One

I often get asked by people as to what the secret to my success has been. It would be easy to say, "Read my book" in a meager attempt to convert more people into readers of The Ripple Effect. Or I could say come hear me speak or hire me to consult or mentor you or your team.

That kind of response would likely hold no immediate benefit for me and likely would give pause to anyone who might consider using the Ripple for their life and business. So I follow one of my mantras that has served me pretty well through the years and ironically is my first lesson in creating the life you want by Rippling:

"The most self-serving thing one can do is live their life selflessly. Selflessly give of their time. Selflessly give of their knowledge. Selflessly give of what ever they have to give."

So I give. The knowledge and insight that I hopefully impart I believe is the truest example of the Ripple in motion. I have this knowledge, this way of life and I believe it is God's purpose for me to share it and share it often. Help those who need help period!

Will my efforts always be directly rewarded? Depends on how you look at the answer I suppose. Will everyone who asks for and receives what I have to give repay me? I must admit that may not happen. But that really isn't the point. I have a strong belief though I may not get repaid directly by the person I am helping; the law of the Ripple will always pay me back in other ways. Call if luck, call it Karma or call it the strengthening of my heart, the Ripples always return to me and are often more abundant and more rewarding than I could ever imagine.

Who needs something today that you either posses the knowledge, the skills or the contacts that could help them? Take the first step and create the Ripple for them. Expect nothing in return. In fact, ask for nothing in return. Like NIKE says...."Just Do It."

You will find that you just took the first step to creating the life you want by Rippling!

Ripple On!


Steve Harper