The Power of a Nudge

Something amazing happened yesterday. It’s remarkable — in the truest sense of the word. People are remarking about it. Actually, they are posting and commenting about it.

But what happened yesterday was simply the fruit of a seed planted some weeks ago. It all started with a nudge. Many amazing things start with a nudge.

But at the time when a nudge arrives, we have NO idea what’s at stake or what may, or may not, happen.

At the time of a nudge, that’s not the issue. What is at issue when a nudge first arrives is being attentive enough to notice the nudge. Then after noticing the nudge, your invitation is being responsive (taking action) to the nudge.

In case you’re not familiar with the nudge, let me introduce you.

a nudge is simply an invitation to action.

It might arrive as an ‘out-of-the-blue’ idea, thought, or prompt. Like, “call your friend, Kelly”. You might not have thought about Kelly for months, maybe even years. In our early experiences with nudging, you might be tempted to pass it off as a fluke and wonder what was it that brought Kelly to mind… and why now? Or was it something I ate?

But then the nudge won’t leave you alone. Kelly comes to mind again. And again.

Finally, you reach out and connect. It could be a call, text, social media bump, or an email. Then to your amazement, Kelly responds.

What happens next is even more amazing.

Kelly shares about being in a really challenging time — possibly even feeling despondent or discouraged. You’re reaching out and giving them hope. It reminded them that people love and care for them.

Suddenly, you’re really glad you paid attention to the nudge.

Lately, some of us have been talking about nudges and our desires to pay more attention to nudges when the knock on our doors.

Early this morning, I was pondering whether to write this post about nudges.

At 6:13am (you ready that right), I received a text from my friend Chris Michel that began with “Following the nudge this morning…”. He had NO idea that at the very moment he texts “Following the nudge…” that I’m sitting there, contemplating writing a post about nudges.

HMM!

Back to what happened yesterday and the nudge that got this ball rolling.

Saturday, January 14, I felt a nudge.

It wasn’t that big of a deal. The original nudge was to give away 10 sets of I’M GRATEFUL FOR YOU cards. I posted about it on LinkedIn and went about my business.

Jeannine was one of the people to respond. I sent the people who responded a direct message with instructions on how to claim their set gift set of cards.

Five days later, Jeannine claimed her offer. In her message, she mentioned that gratitude is something they practice as a family and instill in their daughter from an early age (she’s 6 now).

I felt another nudge… “Send her daughter a set of the cards."

I asked if it was okay if I sent a kit of IGFY cards to her daughter and asked what her name was, so I could personalize the gift. She assured me that wasn’t necessary. Maybe it wasn’t necessary — not to her.

To me, it was. Why? Because I felt a nudge to do it.

Fortunately, this was a time I was paying attention and responded to the nudge. [I’m not always that attentive to nudges — I’m getting better. Encounters like this one really help.]

Jeannine and Ava were moved by my generosity and sent me a video of thanks and shared their plan to show me their gratitude the very next day (January 28). They sent me pictures of the cards that Ava had made and the stories behind each card Ava created.

Then, things went silent for 6+ weeks… until yesterday — March 14.

Oh, my WOW.
Another WOW.
Actually, make that a triple WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!

Jeannine wrote a beautiful post — complete with pictures and details. You can read all of it here.

Let me share a few highlights:

Here’s what unfolded…

When Ava received the package in the mail, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She couldn’t wait to get started sharing her gratitude.

She immediately made a bunch of card to distribute at our local grocery store that weekend.

That Saturday, she proudly gathered her finished cards and off we went. 

🌹 First up — Dina the florist who gives Ava a fairy rose each week as she knows they’re her favorite. Ava has made her pictures and given her Thank You cards before, but Dina was blown away by her gratitude card!

💊 Next, we went to the pharmacy to visit out favorite pharmacists: Glen, Jessica, and Cheryl (yes, Ava has favorite pharmacists 😂). She has shared special rocks and little treasures with them before, but the gratitude cards made them feel even more special (you can tell by their big smiles!)

🔪 Then, on to the deli! There is one guy who knows our regular order and takes such a slice everything super thin (just like we like it) AND layer it, so it doesn’t get stuck together. When Ava gave him a card, I though he was actually going to shed a tear; he was so moved.

💰 On our way out, Ava proudly gave our favorite cashier, Ariel, a card as well. Before we knew it, he had taken a piece of paper and made it into an origami crane for Ava. We were blown away!!”

WOW… look at all of those ripples.

Amazing, isn’t it? That’s the Power of Gratitude in action. And it’s the power of saying yes to a nudge.

When you feel a nudge, I hope you’ll remember Ava and all of her amazing exploits of sharing gratitude. And how it started with a nudge… send Ava a set of cards.

Who knows what will happen when you notice a nudge and take action on it?

I bet it will be amazing — in its own kind of way. Resist the urge to compare the results. Instead, simply celebrate them… and express gratitude for paying attention to the nudge.