A raindrop doesn’t have long to live, and its purpose is seemingly mundane. Their very existence serves one function; to provide and improve life on the planet below. It can be a boring job without much flair, but it is an essential job nonetheless. Some journeys last longer than others, but in the end what is there to show for it? A single spot of moisture, remembered for an instant before its memory is dried up and swept away with time.
What makes a raindrop different? It is the size or shape, the slight chemical variation, or where it lands? There is very little difference one raindrop can make. A splash or two won’t change the sea, and a raindrop will certainly never be capable of more than a splash.
Sadly, people are continuously captivated in a raindrop’s state of mind.
This way of thinking, in particular, dominates artists, writers, and workers turning the corporate cog. Of course, everybody would like to “make a difference” so to speak, but artists and writers suffer the terrible fate of obscurity. The percentage of people who become household names in these professions is astronomically small. The corporate man, on the other hand, suffers obscurity in a wholly different way. He’s not alone in his insignificance; he’s joined directly alongside millions of people who spend their lives turning the wheel for their company commanders. Perhaps their fate is worse than artists and writers. The artist makes or breaks his fame on his own time, but the corporate worker is playing dice with his career advancement. Some may climb the ladder, but most others just end up serving as a rung on it.
It’s in the dark crevices of obscurity and obsolescence that people began to ask their existential questions – also referred to as the “midlife crisis” of middle-aged men. They suddenly realize how much sand in their hourglass has run through as they step back and think, “Huh. And what have I done with this time?
It’s not a sense of defeat that overwhelms them; it’s a sense of pointlessness. Why do I matter? What can I do? Am I really changing things for the better?
Am I just wasting my time?
This undying question is a life-changer. If no one admires our work, did it really ever exist? We thrive on the sense of satisfaction. It comes from ourselves, but it must also be obtained through others. We want to be admired, respected, appreciated for our work. If what we’re doing doesn’t bring satisfaction or make a difference, then we question whether we’re just wasting our time or not. It’s an eternal loop filled with the doubt that we’re fulfilling our potential and the fear that we’ll fail to succeed at anything else.
This is as much a matter of perspective as it is a matter of relevancy. People very often judge “success” another way – economically. The artist sells paintings, the writer sells books, the corporate man turns the cog, and they all do it for money. This does not mean they do not strive for recognition, fame, and/or personal satisfaction. Those are very important too, but neither of them pays the bills.
In the end, success often becomes seen as a matter of work effort versus cash acquired.
If you are thinking this away, you need to stop.
Success is not solely a measure of financial gain. But success isn’t just about fame, either. It’s not about the multitude of people that read your work, the amount of money you rake in, or the number of autographs you sign or the newspapers you appear in. Those are all worthwhile things to achieve, but the true means of success should be something that is judged against you. Are YOU doing what YOU want to do with YOUR life? And along the way, who are you impacting? Is that change for the better? The answer to all of the above questions would benefit you to be yes. Yes, I’m living my life the way that brings joy to me. I’m supporting myself, and maybe a family, and creating an impact that sustains and benefits other, through my actions or through my work. I’m making a difference, even if it’s only to myself and those around me.
People fret about money throughout their entire life. They work themselves to the bone over something that becomes little more use to them than a pillow when they die. If not that, people fret that they’ll never become earth-movers and world-shakers. Not everybody is meant to be one. Influence is not measured in fame and money. The smallest action can be nothing at all to six billion people and change the six billionth and one’s entire universe. Miracles more often work in individuals than crowds. Influence and wealth are valuable things, but people can become swallowed in the pursuit of it, or overwhelmed when they feel they can’t produce enough. Feelings of under appreciation soon follow, as they lose sight of what’s important in life. Do you have a family? Are you part of one? What is your influence to them? It’s surely not the same as appearing on national television, or winning the lottery, but what you do surely affects them. It’s still important, and frankly, the influence you have on your family is some of the most important you can have.
Ultimately, people become trapped in the raindrop’s state of mind because they feel they lack something. Be it recognition, money, glory, or satisfaction, the average worker becomes consumed in desperation to make his mark, to be different. And along the way, they forget two things.
1) Whatever you do for a living should bring enjoyment to you. A life in servitude to something one detests is automatically a life of misery.
2) Impact begins at home. It is not a measure of publicity, but a measure of influence on those around you. A local doctor in the late 1880’s certainly wasn’t world-renowned, but to the people in his town that he saved, he was a world-changer. Don’t lose sight of that. You mean more to the people around you than you think. Influence is silent, but always felt.
The raindrop doesn’t make much of a difference on a global scale. People may not pay much for it individually, but it still exists for a reason. Sometimes people forget the worth of a single raindrop. In the end, it’s not the size of the splash that makes a difference. It’s the ripples felt afterwards that change the pond.
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