Little Things Impact Us the Most

Friday, August 6, 2021

This week, my son, William, who is 17, started a new job. For many kids, summer jobs are a rite of passage and part of growing up. It’s been no different for Will. But for anyone, no matter how young, or old, the first week on a new job brings with it a mix of excitement, trepidation, anxiety, and even fear. Everyone and everything are new. The routine must be learned. There are no familiar faces. There’s pressure to do well and to make a good first impression. These first days are hard enough for an adult, but for a kid, they can be an awful lot. So, Will hasn’t been quite himself. He’s good at compartmentalizing and he’s older than his age, but the last week has just been more than he wanted. We all have weeks like that.

But then yesterday, he got ducked. For those unfamiliar with the term, ducking involves the anonymous gifting of a rubber duck to another human being with an attached note of good cheer. (Will’s duck is shown in the photo above.) After being ducked, Will returned home a different kid. Gone was his pensive mood and accompanying anxiety. He was back to his normal, happy self. All because of a tiny little duck.

But it was more than just the duck, you see. It was the idea that someone took the time to do something nice for him and the reminder that there’s more to be grateful for than otherwise. That the notion was sparked by something as insignificant as a toy was not lost on him either. For it’s almost always the little things that impact us the most.

And that’s the point for the week.

That Will was jarred out of a funk by a tiny duck is just the half of the impact of his ducking. I can assure you that it is an event that he’s going to remember for a long time. That’s the other thing about little things. They stick with people. They pool together in our souls with other little things to form banks of positivity that we draw on when we’re down and need something to remind us that everything is going to be OK. And they leak out of us and get passed along.

Not only did will return home and infect the entire household with his new-found happiness but he promptly went online to buy his own supply of ducks that he plans to pass along to others. See, kindness is contagious. Once touched by the goodness of others, it’s a feeling that begs to be shared. And it does get shared. Then it multiplies, quickly, like fire, tearing through columns of hate division and despair on its way to creating better versions of ourselves, our teams, our communities, and our nations.

The common good is not achievable without doing good. And doing good begins with millions of random acts of kindness that change the way we think about ourselves and the world around us – no matter if you’re a 17-year-old boy just starting out or a 79-year-old man in charge of the free world.

So, engage in tiny acts of kindness.

And win.

P.S. Writing this post reminded me of a friend of mine who devoted her entire life and business to the notion of being good to others. Check out her work at www.BeGoodtoPeople.com

For more like this, please visit AndWin.net