As we find ourselves one-twelfth into the year, it’s a perfect moment to reflect: What will YOUR ripples be, in 2024? What will be the true impact, of the millions of large and tiny things you will do, say, feel and be, in this year?

What legacy are you crafting as you navigate another year of your precious time?

It’s easy to look to your goals list for these answers – the neatly arranged checklist of all the things you have planned to tick off for the year. While goals are nearly always useful to keep in mind, I would like to invite you to zoom out to the bigger picture. Focusing solely on a checklist of goals might not be the most fulfilling measure of a year lived. So let’s consider a different frame: let’s make 2024 the year of Positive Ripples.

Ripples are the impacts that spread out across time and space, results of our actions, words and even emotions. Ripples spread through time, reaching forward and suffusing the future with positive, or negative effects that can last a lifetime, in our own lives. They impact upon us, our loved ones, and the wider community and ecosystem.

We all make countless ripples in our lives and impact on our future, and other people, every day.

Consider the profound effects that small, seemingly insignificant moments can have. A fleeting angry remark can fracture a once-precious relationship, while adopting a new health habit can add decades to a life. Ripples emanate from single moments, creating a cascade of effects in the future.

These ripples extend beyond individuals, spreading through groups and social connections. Emotional contagion theory tells us that those around us are measurably influenced by our own emotions; first-degree contacts most strongly “pick up” a little of what we are laying down, emotionally speaking, but even second-degree contacts will feel a percentage of what we feel, even without knowing us. Kindness shown to a colleague or a stranger can trigger a positive ripple effect, fostering a chain reaction of goodwill.

Moreover, our choices in how we spend limited resources—time, money, and energy—also generate ripples. Passive scrolling may yield little future positivity, but actively contributing to a community, mentoring a teen in need, or learning a new skill enriches both our souls and our collective future.

To make 2024 a year of Positive Ripples, start small:

Everyday Choices: Make the small everyday choices in your life, that your future self will thank you for. Eat the broccoli. Go for the walk. Do the stretches – and sometimes, eat the damned chocolate cake, because savouring also brings wellbeing! It ALL has a ripple effect.

Attitude and Interactions: Think about the impact of your attitude, your words, your emotions in interactions with others. Try to choose kindness and encouragement, more often (and where necessary, compassion and forgiveness!). Don’t forget to apply this to your talks with YOURSELF, as well 🙂

Emotional Energy: When entering a moment, a day or a week shared with others, think about the emotional energy you are bringing, and be aware that it can carry forward to others in many unseen ways. Give yourself the grace of a moment to pause and re-centre or re-set if you need to.

Self-Regulation: Find your favourite self-regulation and de-stressing techniques and commit to practicing them regularly, consistently, even when you don’t need them! A walk in nature, a few minutes of conscious breathing, a weekend hike or movie with loved ones instead of more work – all really great places to start.

Intentional Acts of Kindness: Finally, enjoy intentionally creating positive ripples when you’re out in the world. Smile back at the baby in the pram or the old-timer in the supermarket. Say a bright and cheerful thank you to the tired retail assistant serving you. Help the colleague at work who is struggling with a task. You are way more powerful in tiny ways than you realise – because you have the power of making someone’s day with tiny gestures of kindness.

In 2024, let’s embrace the power to shape a positive future, one ripple at a time.

Image credit Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay