A beautiful Italian man — curly-haired, golden-skinned — once stole a quote from somewhere:
“The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.“
Not quite psychology. Not quite physics. It does however, feel like cause-and-effect theory applied to why we feel the way we feel. It made me wonder about the invisible ways we influence each other, how we’re constantly leaving fingerprints on people’s days. And it’s not just that one quote — I keep stumbling across the same truth, just wrapped in different words, expressed in unique ways, from different teachers.
My very first book came to me as a gift from my brother — his attempt to fix how awkwardly silent I was as a child. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The morning after reading the first chapter, I walked with an extra sway that lasted all of two seconds since I was late to my 07:15am Public Speaking class. On the way, I saw a woman approaching. I wished her good morning and admired her scarf. And then, miracle of miracles, I actually said it out loud.
Her smile was instant. And with it came the realization that you can change someone’s day with just your words. No flowers necessary.
Years later, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz found me. Be impeccable with you word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Use the power of your words in the direction of truth and love. I think of this one every time I hear damaging words. And when I do, I invent quotes for myself, the most recent being:
“Every time you open your mouth, build someone up.“
Then came How Full is Your Bucket by Rath and Clifton, the so-called grandfather of positive psychology. That book introduced me to the idea of energy as currency. Every rendezvous with a friend, every unexpected exchange with a stranger, is a transaction. Sometimes you deposit light. Sometimes you drain it away. What you say or do may feel small, even invisible — but it always carries an effect.
And then of course, Gandhi, with his timeless reminder: thoughts become words, words become action, actions become destiny. That chain makes me wonder how fragile and impressionable we really are. One quick tone, one glance, one set of words — it can restore someone’s balance or rattle it completely.
We all act tough, but truthfully, we’re soft clay. We talk about “owning our own remote,” and yet, we’re always getting triggered. Which makes me pause and ask: how many times have I been the negative effect? How many times have I hurt balanced beings without meaning to? How many times have I misused my own superpower?
Because here’s my truth: we are affected every minute and affecting every second. And every time, we get to choose — to be gentle in our thoughts and kind in our words, or to be careless and damaging. To pull people into the light, or in Darth Vader’s voice say: “Welcome to the dark side.“
I took this photo while sitting on a ferry crossing the Norwegian fjords. The sun stretched across the water, painting both light and shadow in one stroke. It took my breath away.
It reminded me: One sun can cast both light and shadow. And, so can we. We each carry that same superpower. We are capable of both — of becoming light, of creating shadow. And every day, in every interaction, we spend that currency.
And fun fact: little did I know that ferry was also carrying me closer to my husband. Proof that life has its own way of weaving cause and effect, light and dark, into something beautiful.
ROOHISM 