We each have the ability to create a ripple effect with each interaction we have on a daily basis. Have you ever noticed how a seemingly benign interaction can make your whole day better sometimes? Now, what if you actually purposefully initiate some kind of ripple effect to help facilitate change in a system that doesn’t work or create solutions for a problem where there are none? Oftentimes, the biggest changes are initiated by small groups, and now that we are all connected via the internet, facilitating positive change on purpose has become more and more possible, realistic, and doable. I bring this up for one reason only: creating positivity and positive change is good karma, and when you send out positive intentions coupled with inspired action toward a goal, this will return to you in ways you may not even be able to imagine at this stage in your life. To better explain this, we’ll discuss certain laws of the universe such as the law of attraction and the law of cause and effect. This will allow you to gain a better understanding of how and why the energies you send out in each moment (in thought, word, deed, or emotions) return to you.
Now, at first, this may seem overwhelming or sound impossible to master. Monitoring all of your thoughts, words, emotions, every layer of your being so you don’t end up attracting things you don’t want? How ridiculous, right?
Here’s where we run into our first misconception or the first conditioned flaw in our thinking. When you perceive the process of cultivating inner happiness through mindfulness practice as trying to forcibly control your entire self from an external perspective, you end up trying to think of it like something that you have to do actively, on the outside of yourself. While there are some things like exercise that are excellent for helping you to maintain your health and emotional balance, this isn’t the type of “work” that will allow you to master any and all ripples you send out into the world.
The simplest solution is usually the most sound, so for a moment, just sit there and breathe. Try not to think about anything and if you catch yourself thinking thoughts, bring your focus back to your natural breathing. Don’t force or strain anything; just allow your breath to move in and out and through you naturally. This is how you go within and master your thoughts so that they no longer run you. When you can quiet the mind on command, eventually you won’t have to quiet your mind anymore. You will reach a point where it’s quiet in your head unless you don’t want it to be, and then it’s more likely that you’ll be doing something creative or productive in order to use your mind the way it was always intended to be used: as a tool.
We were never meant to be slaves to our thoughts, but that is how we have been conditioned over the course of centuries and lifetimes. Our beliefs are not our own, but we are brainwashed from birth based on the input we receive from outside sources whom we have no reason not to trust. After all, these are our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and people whom we are told care about us. We trust their experience and judgment, but their experiences are typically different from ours and we then begin to draw our own conclusions. Some of our new conclusions may not resonate with what we once accepted as truth, which can create resistance, especially if we aren’t aware of our own internal processes, but this is all part of the learning process so that we may be more aware next time.
Let’s talk a little bit about certain laws of the universe. The concepts that are covered can be applied to our experiences, but sometimes this isn’t obvious without prior practice. However, once you can associate some of these concepts in a way you understand, they will be much easier to remember and therefore apply.
The Law of Vibration
One important foundational law to know is the law of vibration. This law can never be and has never been changed, and is not able to be transcended. This law states that, at its core, everything has a vibration, a frequency. Science has now proven that everything is energy, which is amazing because we are able to more easily “believe” this without necessarily having to see it. Many also now understand that our senses are extremely limited in allowing us to perceive the world around us. Like energy attracts like energy, and everything is energy, so it only makes sense to try to be at an energy that feels like your current desires are already yours.
The Law of Cause and Effect
“Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause.” Because everything is energy, our thoughts, emotions, words, and deeds send out ripples on many different levels or layers of reality, seen and unseen, whether we realize it consciously or not. Everything you send out and therefore experience reflected back to you originates from within you, and once you understand this concept more fully, it becomes obvious that the easiest way to consistently send out positive ripples is to consistently practice being mindful, kind, patient, and loving with others as well as yourself. That’s not to say that you have to subject yourself to being abused or mistreated; on the contrary. You should be firm in your boundaries and if you see red flags of a personality disorder or toxicity, you have the right to stop associating with this person so that you don’t end up being drained by them. Sometimes they will still be able to energetically drain you, but only if you continue to give them your focus. So, don’t worry about it. Focus on being your best self instead, and watch everything fall into place.
The Law of Attraction
This law, while not listed as one of the seven universal laws, is a sort of connection between all of the laws, as you must master each one in order to master your life and your ability to manifest on purpose. Whatever you send out comes back to you; yes, people talk about the law of attraction as it pertains to abundance, but this law also applies when it comes to lack. If you are trapped in a lack mindset, you will attract circumstances and situations into your experience that will reinforce that lack mindset. If you are in a mindset of being victimized by life or an illness (placing control over your life in things beyond your control to avoid taking responsibility for your part), then your energy or vibration will attract more of the same. Rather than trying to pin your happiness on something external and wait begrudgingly for it to manifest, creating resistance, it is much more effective to daydream or practice visualizing and feeling as though you already have the desire you’re working toward. This will bring you to the same vibration as your desire, which attracts you to it and it to you. Practicing is the keyword again here, but don’t practice by feeling like you desire something. The most important part is to feel gratitude for it like you’ve already received it, and whatever other feelings might go with having it already. This is the practicing you want to do in your mind because this allows you to more easily manifest without consciously trying. The more you practice the techniques that work for you, the easier they become.
The Law of Polarity
This law states that every opposite is actually different degrees of the same thing. Hot and cold are both still temperatures; love and fear both emotions. By understanding and knowing that two opposites are just extremes of the same thing, you can begin to transcend your emotional responses to circumstances as well as interactions with others, as tempting as it may be to go off on someone rather than wishing them well and letting it go. That’s where you must ask yourself in the moment what types of ripples you want to send out into the world. Would you like the negative ripples to stop with you? Maybe even be reversed or counteracted? Or would you like to add to the negative pot of energetic and emotional baggage we all throw at each other on a daily basis without realizing it? It will come back to you either way.
One practice that makes it much easier to get a grasp on yourself as well as your ability to manifest intentionally is a practice of detachment. By detachment, I don’t mean that you suppress or ignore your emotions and pretend to be perfect. This defeats the entire purpose and is a way for you again to attempt to control your inner world through the outer layers of your being. This never works as all change originates from within on an energetic level, and you cannot reach that by simply appearing calm on the outside. It isn’t what’s going on out there that matters; it’s what’s going on within you that really counts for your life.
By detachment, I mean a practice of reserving your reaction or response while you either contemplate or let something sit so that you have time to process whatever emotions may arise before doing anything. A practice of detachment allows you to become the observer of your emotions rather than allowing them to take over, which in turn allows you to make better decisions and refine your discernment. As a mindful leader, this is especially important because people aren’t likely to trust in leadership that doesn’t handle things well. For example, if employees are reprimanded for asking questions or making mistakes they couldn’t have avoided with their level of skill or expertise, then this could create a fear of asking for clarification and a fear of sharing ideas. Everyone’s input should be acknowledged and validated, but not all suggestions have to be implemented. However, simply by allowing everyone to participate, it creates rapport between everyone as well as a spirit of cooperation and encouragement.
When we approach a situation with a sense of inner peace and without being attached to any one outcome, which is equivalent to letting go of control, then we have the ability to remain calm and peaceful and lead well when it matters most: during challenging or stressful times that emotionally ramp everyone up. People also feed on each other’s energies, so if one person gets up in arms about something, it is very likely that others will soon follow. The more detached you are, the more you’ll be able to make the best decisions for everyone involved, no matter what the circumstances might look like.
Practicing detachment also allows you to make sure you aren’t sending out any negative ripples because rather than acting out intensely based on your emotions, you will be allowing those emotions to simply exist without “feeding the fire,” so to speak. You won’t allow your thoughts to even begin spiraling out of control and pulling you into a negative thought cycle that keeps your emotions looping, too. This will no longer happen within your being because you will have learned how to quiet your mind, which means the intensity of your emotions will seem less because they aren’t being perpetuated by your pesky mind.
Once you’ve begun practicing detachment, you may also experience an increase in confidence and self-trust because you will be able to trust your own memory, intuition, emotions, and so on. You won’t let yourself down, so you’ll be able to trust yourself more and more as time goes on, which in turn allows you to naturally inspire everyone you lead simply by being your incredible self, and what a beautiful ripple that will send out in each moment.
Thanks so much for reading! Please join us again next week for a new article about the ripple effect.
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