Small Gestures, Big Impact

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

“Being enough isn’t defined by what we have accomplished. It’s defined by who we are.”
~ Allyislia

“I enjoy your blog.” Those four words spoken to me at our annual writing conference a few weeks ago meant more to me than the speaker knew. As writers, we hope to reach as many people as possible with our words and ideas. We send out newsletters, write blog posts, craft social media messages, and invite others to connect, but we’re not always aware of who all is engaging with our content.

Most writers I know are notoriously bad at marketing. In general, we are idea people, not business-minded strategy people. Given the choice, we’d rather write than do most anything else. So, we’re in a potentially constant state of feeling like we’re not doing enough marketing.

But this problem isn’t specific to writers. I bet no matter what your current job or role is, you’re living in a constant state of “not enough-ness” too.

In modern life, the opportunities available to us are dizzying, but they also create endless demands for our time. Even if you’re a planner, and start your day with a To Do list, no doubt many days get away from you as things crop up. 

Best laid plans, as they say.  

By the time evening rolls around, it’s easy to feel deflated. We didn’t exercise enough, we didn’t eat enough healthy food, do enough housework, or get back to the people we were supposed to get back with, much less finish, or maybe even start, our To Do list.

Where did the time go?

It’s easy to focus on what we didn’t accomplish. But if we pay closer attention to how we spent our time, we may realize that what we did do was very important to someone else.

During the course of your day, did you send a text to cheer someone up? 

Help a friend drop off their car for a repair?  

Send a card or flowers to a relative who’s ailing?

Make a contribution to a friend’s Go Fund Me campaign?

Teach someone a new skill? 

Welcome a new neighbor?

Give someone a compliment?

My guess is that every day you make choices to help others in ways that lift them up and make them feel special, even though it means sacrificing some of your own plans. It’s tempting to discount the many small actions we take throughout the day on behalf of those we love.  

But those seemingly small gestures can make a world of difference to others, especially when they are suffering or hurting.

The next time you’re feeling like you’re not enough, remember that to the recipients of our kindnesses, our small gestures can mean everything. 

To them, you are more than enough.

Affectionately, 

Elaine