A new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, called Spirited,* was released in 2022 on Apple TV.* If you didn’t catch it, I highly recommend it.

The Ghost of Christmas Present, Will Farrell, seeks the most corrupted individual to convert on Christmas Eve and finds his target, Clint Briggs, played by Ryan Reynolds, who believes that no one can ever change and spends his life destroying other peoples’ lives using social media. Clint is a hard nut to crack, and yet The Ghost of Christmas Present holds the belief that every life has the potential to do good and have a lasting, rippling effect on others. There are many twists and funny moments, but I’d like to explore this concept of making ripples in this post.

The Ghost of Christmas Present in the song named “Ripple”* begins by singing:

Every day I wake up with a single dream
Runnin’ through my head
To throw a little stone into a mighty stream
And watch the ripples as they spread

Well, we fall in line, follow every rule
But is that something we should really take pride in?
’Cause we’re treading water in the kiddie pool
When there are oceans we could turn the tide in

Then the chorus sings:

If you wanna make a ripple
If you wanna makе a wave
Playing safe and thinking small
Doesn’t movе the ball at all
There’s humanity to save

An interesting question to consider this New Year – Maybe you aren’t out to save humanity, but what is a ripple, or even a wave, that you could make this year that takes you beyond playing it safe and thinking small?

Jacob Marley, played by Patrick Page, then chimes in “Consider the consequences!

What in you puts the brakes on imagining and creating beyond your comfort zone?

The Ghost of Christmas Present quickly retorts, “Consider the possibilities!

What are the possibilities that lie before you in 2023? What is burning in you to be realized in 2023? What possibilities or opportunities are right in front of you that are waiting for you to say, “yes,” to this year?

The Ghost of Christmas Present and the Chorus continue and remind us what might happen if we choose to make ripples in 2023.

Now if we choose this to make ripples, one goes to two and four
And jumps from four to eight
Yes, soon you guys, it multiplies to thousands more
Can you hear it reverberate?
Then to millions and to billions and it never ends
All across the world the change is gaining some traction
Reaching other planets
Maybe aliens
From one person we began a chain reaction

Time to mean what we’re about
Gotta turn this mother out
Friends, it’s just called bein’ brave

Maybe more than just a ripple
Make the choice to take a chance
Let’s put on our big-boy pants
If we only skip the surface we’ll never know
Just how far the ripples go

What chain reactions are you willing to start in 2023? Will you just scratch the surface of your life this year or really take the plunge into the work, relationships, and life you desire?

The possibilities are endless, and if you need a little help sorting them out, we’re always here. Give us a call or send us an email.

Together let’s make some ripples in 2023 and see how far they go!

*Excerpted from the film, Spirited, and from the lyrics of the song, “Ripple,” written by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.

Theresa Gale
PRINCIPAL, TRANSFORM, INC.