What Ripples Do You Send Out..?

"Gordon Bryan",
Written by gordino

Here’s another closer look at one of my quote images, and it’s a point that might send ripples…

What ripples do you send out?

I took that picture are Aylesford, Kent. I had gone specifically to take photos of a well known bridge down there, but as I was by the river snapping away, I could see a pair of swans getting ever closer.

I decided that if they got close enough I’d have a go at getting them. The sun was looking nice reflecting off the water, I decided that the branches made a nice artistic addition to the photo (as it happens I’m still not entirely sure about that!), and the swan was sending out the classic set of ripples…

Ah, the ripples. That’s what I want to cover in this article.

What ripples do you send out?



The first response of many people is something like “I don’t send out any, I like to keep my head down” or even simply “I don’t know.”

I’d be inclined to disagree with both of those!

So, if I think it’s a question which is served by deeper answers, let’s look deeper at what I mean in the first place…

Actually the question could be taken with the emphasis on different words, and doing that will give that deeper thought process when we answer –

WHAT ripples do you send out?
What RIPPLES do you send out?
What ripples DO you send out?
What ripples do YOU send out?
What ripples do you send OUT?

What do I even mean by ripples?

Well if we look back at the image, it’s a classic swan image, because the serene elegance floating along the surface belies the work, sometimes furious work, that is going on under the surface, and it’s work that’s revealed by the ripples we see.

Anyone thinking that they don’t send out ripples in life, is probably not considering the question deeply enough. We all send out ripples, of course we do, and we do it all the time.

Ripples of thought which affect our actions.
Ripples of action which affect the results.
Ripples of results which affect both us and others.

It’s not a case that you might not be sending out ripples. You do. I do, everyone does, whether they realise it or not. If that’s the case, isn’t it better that you *do* know?

So, WHAT ripples do you send out? I’ve mentioned already that thoughts lead to actions, which lead to results. In fact, I’ve mentioned it in vast swathes of my content over many years, and that’s because it’s a key fundamental of the self improvement, personal development journey – if we understand this concept, we understand the power of the changes we can apply.

With this in mind, the ripples you send out start with thoughts. Your thoughts. Not the thoughts of others, but your thoughts.

Yes, the thoughts and consequent actions of others clearly can have an impact on us, but our reactions to those always start with *our* thoughts.

It could be a thought ripple of apathy, of letting things play out as they will, of allowing ourselves to be buffeted by circumstance. Or, it could be a thought ripple of taking action, of directing the things we can direct, and making conscious thought processes around the things we can’t.

Again, these thought ripples inevitably lead to ripples of action…

Look around you.

The circumstances that surround you right now, whether you think them good or bad, are a result of ripples you’ve sent out in the past. You might not like the ripples you sent out way back when, but you sent them out nonetheless.

Look to others that have been affected, good or bad, by the ripples YOU sent out. You sent them, (and of course that means you can send out different ripples going forward, to bring different results).

Do you SEND OUT ripples of negativity or positivity?

I’m sure we can all think of people who bring a cloud into a room when they enter, a cloud that leaves when they leave. That’s terribly sad in my view, because we can just as easily think of people that bring a lift to a room when they enter – I know which one I think it’s better to be!

I’m not talking about needing to be some sort of ‘life of the party’ character here, I’m more talking about the people that we know take a positive slant on life, will ask how others are with a smile, will listen to other people’s views, who leave people feeling they genuinely want the best for others.

That comes from wanting the best for themselves too, as their foundation – how consider and react to others is important yes, extremely important, but what vitally important is how we consider and react to ourselves.

If we consider our own thought ripples the base of what we do, are we starting from a centre of wishy washy ‘see what happens’, ‘what will be will be’ attitude? Is the ripple we send out just one big ‘MEH’, a big old shoulder shrug to life?

OR, are you starting from a position of intention? Intention that it’s OK to live in line with your passions, it’s OK to go after your dreams, it’s OK to act the way you choose to, both for yourself and others. Not the way someone else tells to you, society, your family, your friends, but the way *you* choose.

It could be that you choose to follow the ‘what will be will be’ shoulder shrug model. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, as long as it definitely your choice. As it happens, I think that model, at some point sooner or later, will lead to a nagging drip drip build up that there’s more to life, which is why I suggest the model of intention as a better way to go.

"Gordon Bryan",

So, look to the swan on the river, and you consider the ripples, ask yourself what ripples do you send out? The answers can change your life, they can ‘transform’ it!

Ok, do let me know what you think, I love the feedback,

‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you fancy doing something about sending out new ripples, then do look at my free video series covering my 8 step goal achievement formula.
P.P.S. You can see the picture I got of the bridge I mentioned in my other article ‘The Bridge Between Your Dreams And Reality…’



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