Sometimes I think about this idea of how little moments change whole entire lives. How a single decision can make an impact. How a stranger can say something that changes the way we view the world. Changes so grand that we fall in love and build lives. We quit jobs or move to different places. We look at a mirror and see a stronger or weaker version of ourselves staring back. All because of a choice someone made. This might all sound a little existential but bear with me for a moment.

Once upon a time, I stood at a desk, closed my eyes, and pointed to a map. My finger landed in the Olympic Peninsula. It was placed which had never crossed my mind prior to that moment. I’d never stepped foot or seen it with my own eyes, and yet with a point of my dart-like finger, my world changed. Within a few short months, I moved to the Olympic Peninsula. Why? Because that’s where my finger landed. Because sometimes in life we just have to jump.

I have a thousand of these stories which contain such moments. Choices. Some of them feel so small, it took me fully removing myself from the situation to see the impact of a single decision. These moments are a choice that moved my journey in life a different direction. I like to think about these points in time. Boil down what that pivotal factor was and how my life was never the same.

I’m with the man I love today because of a moment like this. I joined a dating site because I wanted something real after a stream of romantic connections that wouldn’t come to fruition in person. Life is meant to be lived and not just in your head. “Because reality is real.“ I joined despite having said, quite loudly, I would never do that again. In fact, I’m confident I blogged about it here! But I did it anyway. I agreed to take a thirty-day leap of faith. I met my favorite person three weeks later. I’m grateful for the hurt that lead to the leap. Without it, I might never have got to spend this last year laughing and learning and falling in love.

Not all are moments are good. Sometimes they are simply defining. Life can be thrust upon us by the poor or selfish decisions of another. It can hurt, it can feel shameful, or leave us feeling less than. I have felt all of those things because of other humans. I never want someone to feel that level of negativity because of my choices. I’m not perfect, so very from that word. But I believe in Karma, and I believe what I put into this world, I’ll get back from it.

Sometimes it’s in moments we disregard that our lives change. Maybe it’s in a moment where you are being the best version of yourself possible. Breathing through the frustration and digging deep, into your best-self reserves. Or maybe, it’s the fleeting moment where nasty words vomit from your lips or fingertips. In a moment you don’t think twice about. I want you to remember the person who shared that moment with you, might not forget about it so quickly. You have the ability to impact the people around you. Our words and choices matter. We have the ability to change the world with our actions. We do it every day, I think most days we’re just a bit less aware of our individual impact.

I think we should make a pact as humans to live our best lives. To be our best selves. To laugh a lot, to love fully, and to have enough humility to apologize when we hurt someone else. I think we could build a pretty great place if we did that.