As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a lead trainer for iPEC Coaching. I’m lucky enough to travel the U.S. and Canada to teach others how to become life and executive coaches. It’s a dream job that doesn’t feel like a job. (Don’t tell iPEC that because I still like to get paid!) Rather, it feels like a constant adventure filled with interesting and curious people who want to make the world a better place. I can be completely discouraged with the misery of our world and walk into an iPEC classroom and instantly feel profound hope and gratitude.

At the end of 2019, I got to spend a weekend with some incredible iPEC students in Mt. Laural, New Jersey. Every class I teach is special and this class was no exception. The room was filled with deep thinking, wise and kind people. We had profound discussions throughout our time together. I personally felt fulfilled and challenged all at the same time. At one point, we were discussing bringing positive energy into the world and one student said, “But we are just a drop in the ocean. Is it even possible for us to make a difference?”

We all sat there and thought about that question. Certainly most of us have felt that frustration throughout our lives and particularly in this time in our country’s history. I know that I have rarely felt as discouraged about the state of unkindness and contentious discourse with my fellow Americans than I have over the past three years. The news is chronically miserable and we seem as divided and emotionally drained as we might ever be. Our children are reporting higher rates of anxiety and depression than ever in our history. How can a small group of eternal optimists sitting in a class in Mt. Laural, New Jersey possibly make a difference? Are we not just a tiny drop in a vast and complicated ocean?

It takes courage to believe that little you in this big scary world can make a difference, but why wouldn’t you want to believe that? #leadership #optimism #change Click To Tweet

And yet, my class marched on with their hopes, dreams, and willingness to believe that yes, even a small drop in the ocean ultimately changes that ocean. We discussed how a small, kind word to our children or a stranger can change that person and thus change how they show up in the world. We talked about how truly listening and hearing each other changes each of us. Think about a small sea creature that encounters dangerous discarded plastic in its environment and you will know that a small drop in the ocean can either hurt or harm so many of us. 

We Are all Influencers

Every tiny move we make effects and influences our environment. A kind word versus a cruel word changes someone’s day. Recycling changes our environment and single use plastics do as well. One makes a small, positive difference and the other a small, negative difference. Both, over time however, make big impacts on the health and safety of our humanity. If none of us believed that our small changes could influence anything, we wouldn’t even bother. We would all be living hopeless, selfish lives. Sadly, we see many who do live that way. 

It takes courage to believe that little you in this big scary world can make a difference, but why wouldn’t you want to believe that? Why wouldn’t you want to drop a small bit of joy into the world or a tiny piece of hope? Why wouldn’t you choose kindness over cruelty whenever possible? Why wouldn’t you want to show up in a way that influences others positively and thus motivates them to also go kindly into the world? What have we really got to lose by being that profoundly wonderful tiny drop in the ocean?

A few weeks after that class, I received a lovely thank you card from one of my students, Tom Malone. (His name is shared with permission.) That Tom even took the time to hand write a thank you note absolutely made my day, maybe even my year! It proved that his tiny drop in the ocean changed me and those around me. On top of his very thoughtful thank you, he also left me with this quote: 

“You are not merely a drop in the ocean; but rather a wave floating beneath the ships of eager explorers, who search for treasure in the vastness of life.”

I’ve read it over and over again, often with tears of gratitude, and with the belief that each tiny ocean drop is a miracle for each of us to experience and love.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC