The Ripple Effect: Dealing with Change

A TINY FRIDAY REFLECTION.

Many years ago, I sent out "Feel Good Friday" notes because I think everyone should start Friday with a smile. Now, my Fridays begin with a big goofy horse - you can see those smiles regularly on my Facebook, but I'm putting one below as a reward for reading this!.

This Friday reflection is for all of you who poured your heart and soul into something and are now watching it change in ways you didn't anticipate.

When you throw a rock into a lake, the rock sinks out of sight…but the ripples can be seen and felt far and wide.

If you’ve ever created something that no longer looks the way you crafted it…that’s the rock.  The ripples persist long after the rock sinks.

For me the best ripples are people.  When you lead with integrity and love it affects people.  Those people go out into the world and create their own ripples amplifying your impact.

I spoke recently to a great leader with whom I worked for more than 20 years.  He always had confidence in me - sometimes when I didn’t have it in myself.

He asked me what my biggest take away from a particular chapter in our work was.  That sparked this reflection.

So for everyone who is managing through change, or dealing with a situation where you have to reshape the work you’ve done to meet new goals, a changing business climate or new leadership - know that the original value of your work matters.  Its impact is still felt.

When it’s time to turn the page, the previous one and all that came before it shape the next chapter - even if you burn the book. (One more analogy…Just in case you’re not a water soul like me!)

If you're wondering what this has to do with farming...

I use the quiet drives between apiaries to reflect and ponder. Most of the bees I care for are deep in beautiful slices of nature, sometime I just sit and soak it in. And often, these little summations of life happen. Mostly I write them down so I can move on to whatever is next - live hive inspections. But sometimes they resonate with others and can offer a bit of encouragement.

Dot is my new regular Friday morning date! She teaches me as much as some of my human mentors.