You Just Never Know Your Influence

Today has been a great day, but I must admit that Saren and I are feeling a little tired.  We've been working (with our amazing board members) during every spare moment for weeks to plan our April Retreat, coordinate the new book we're publishing, strengthen the foundation of our growing organization, and get our new website ready (you can take a sneak peek at http://new.powerofmoms.com).

I absolutely love working on meaningful projects and associating with the moms at The Power of Moms, but sometimes when I look at the projects around my house that aren't getting done, or reflect on the fact that I have very little "down time," I wonder if I'm being as effective with my time as I ought to be.  I try not to let any of this work bleed into my time with my children, so I end up working in the middle of the night, early in the morning, during ten-minute pockets during the day, etc.

Then I see things like this blog post, and I realize that this is so much bigger than me. 

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article for the website called "Defying Gravity."  I felt like everything in the world was trying to pull me away from accomplishing my dreams, so I decided to start listening to the voice inside that tells me I can become more--in spite of the everyday "gravity," and without having to sacrifice the quality of my family life. 

Then Saren and I included that article in our Learning Circles program, and the feedback I've received from that one article--written over the course of a week while I was suffering through some health problems--reminds me that you can never really measure your influence.  You never know how something you do is going to help someone else.  And you can't anticipate how someone ten times as talented as you are might build on your small little effort. 

I see all my flaws very clearly.  I know painfully well how much I am lacking, and I know how much work it's going to take to get where I want to be.  But at the same time, I have to be satisfied with what I am able to give today. 

I think of all the incredible people who inspire me each day, and the majority of them have no clue that they are the ones who keep me going.  So today's post is meant to thank the people out there who live deliberate lives, share the beautiful things they're learning, lift those around them, and influence the rest of us who appreciate them more than we can ever say.


Have you ever had an experience where something small that you did influenced others for good?  Or a time when another person's life powerfully influenced you?