Every Moment is a Ripple Effect: How Small Acts of Kindness Shape Our Future

Last Sunday, I was catching an early flight to Nashville for a 3-day speaker bootcamp.

Alarm goes off at 4am. I’ve been tossing and turning all night.

I fumble my way through getting ready and drag myself outside to catch my Uber.

The driver pulls up, I roll my carry-on across the street toward the glow of headlights and I hear an unexpected greeting “Good morning, Chris.”

I look up, surprised, and force a smile back toward the driver’s window where it’s too dark to see more than a silhouette.

I open the trunk, toss in my carry-on, and notice the license plate has a custom frame.

“TREAT PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS” it says, in groovy letters.

That’s nice.

I move to the side of the car to open the passenger door. A window decal reads “KINDNESS MATTERS.”

Hmm.

I look up from my seat and see the air freshener dangling from the rear-view with the words “Be Kind” inscribed.

I see now with the help of the cabin light that my driver is a woman probably in her mid- 60s. Gray curly hair. Beaded bracelets.

Okay - I’m just not the type of person who chums it up with Uber drivers. Traveling is tiring and striking up conversation with a stranger as an introvert can be an energy drain for me. Especially at that hour. Anyone else?

But all of these signals and her inviting energy - just in the last 20 seconds - prompted me to grant her a nickname and ask…

“So you’re the Kindness Queen, huh?”

She laughed. “I like that! I’m gonna use that!”

The next 12 minutes, which would ordinarily be an opportunity to check emails and doom scroll social media, became an opportunity to know Kara.

I listened to her story. She listened to mine.

I reflected back her significance - the Ripple Effect - of her kindness on me and the thousands of people who find themselves in the comfort of her backseat.

From our very first interaction, Kara signaled warmth, openness, and kindness.

And last Sunday, her kindness turned a mundane moment into a meaningful memory.

And a meaningful memory into momentum I carried throughout my day, sharing her warmth with every person I encountered on my journey to Nashville, and now with you.

This is not a story about why you should be kind (but also, yes, do that).
This is not a story about why you should talk to every Uber driver you meet.
This is not a story about why you should get into deep convo with an airplane stranger.

Because let’s be real - that’s just not always me.

It’s an invitation to consider that every moment is a ripple effect.

To consider that each moment CARRIES THE POTENTIAL to create something larger than itself.

You get to choose how you tap into that potential, and the possibilities you might create from the moments you do have.

As you step into the holiday season and the year ahead, consider:

What will you make of the moments you’re given?
What possibilities will you bring to life?
What ripples will you create?

Let’s all show up and use the power of the moment, no matter how small, to contribute to a larger wave of positive change.

Wait. Hold on. My phone just pinged.

“The Kindness Queen is now following you on Instagram.”

Cheers to your health, impact and success in 2025 and to creating more moments that matter.