The Impact We Have

 



Going through life, we get so wrapped up in our own survival, path or what our next goal or achievement is, that we forget to notice what impact, be it negative or positive, that we have on others. Even if we don't think it does, almost every choice we make impacts someone, in some capacity. For example, working in the mental health and substance use field, many of my clients believe that their use only impacts themselves, when in reality it is nothing less than a ripple effect. 

I have had many people tell me over the last nine months how I am strong, brave, and a great mom. Usually, those compliments were met with a rebuttal about how I am not or that I am just surviving. Why is it such a challenge to accept the compliment and say, "Thank you"? I have gotten so caught up in the chaos of life that I have not been able to realize the impact that I may have had on other people. 

It wasn't until a couple days ago that someone told me that they envy my strength and courage, and they strive to be as resilient as I am one day. In my head I responded with "Well if you only knew" but in that moment I stopped myself and if this is this person's perspective of me, why can't I accept that? Obviously, I presented or portrayed these characteristics at some point. 

Compliments for me are hard to receive. I went into the helping field because I wanted to obviously help others, but to be a positive support to someone and build them up. We don't know the impact we have on other's lives and most the time we never will. The adventures that I've been on in my life (really the last five years) have given me the opportunity to learn new things, learn things about myself and about life, and it has also given me the opportunity to use that wisdom to help others. 

Knowledge isn't the only impact we have on others. How we portray ourselves and interact with others has an impact; how we carry ourselves and our level of vulnerability also plays a role. What I do or what I say has an impact on others, regardless of if I want it to or not. Embracing the compliments, taking feedback from others and starting to realize the impact I have can be powerful and help so much with how I view myself, even if it is uncomfortable at times. 



Quote Link: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azquotes.com%2Fvangogh-image-quotes%2F24%2F75%2FQuotation-Jackie-Robinson-A-life-is-not-important-except-in-the-impact-it-24-75-87.jpg&tbnid=08T_hBldxn_yYM&vet=12ahUKEwj5xdH5nOH-AhVCNEQIHa1oARIQMygRegUIARDiAQ..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azquotes.com%2Fquotes%2Ftopics%2Fimpact.html&docid=e0CQY425A95kRM&w=1050&h=640&q=impact%20we%20have%20on%20others%20quote&ved=2ahUKEwj5xdH5nOH-AhVCNEQIHa1oARIQMygRegUIARDiAQ


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