As I was putting together my newsletter Tuesday night, I saw the news break that Pete Frates, the former college baseball player who inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, had passed away. I never met Pete, but his mother, Nancy, was a Realtor who I briefly crossed paths with that year when I was running the speechwriting team at the National Association of Realtors. She had a great quote in one of the stories today: “I lost my son, but I gave him to the world.”
By all accounts, what Pete Frates did was something very simple: he poured a bucket of ice over his head then challenged someone else to do it. That very simple, almost silly, act then became repeatable and meaningful. It went from being a small, singular gesture to the perhaps the world’s biggest act of hope in 2014. More importantly, because it started small, it had a chance to grow exponentially beyond anyone’s expectation or even comprehension.
Small moments, built up over time, have a magic all their own that no huge sweeping epic effort can ever really touch. If you believe that like I do, you owe Pete and his family all the thanks you have to spare for showing us the way.
Founder, The Idea Enthusiast. Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator, and writer about all things creative consulting. DC-based consultant to individuals who want to be more creative, teams who want to collaborate without fear, and anyone who wants to deliver the best pitches and presentations.