From your closest relationships to your more distant connections, you are constantly affecting the people in your world. Your life footprint reflects the impact you have on the world. Although you may think of yourself as only a small player on the world stage, you may be surprised to learn that your impact can potentially spread to the farthest reaches of the planet.

Theories of development formerly contrasted nature vs. nurture, but researchers are showing, increasingly, the many combined effects of the two on how we grow and change through life. In addition, we now talk about the reciprocal influences that people have on their environments (Whitbourne & Whitbourne, 2014). In other words, the environment affects you, but you affect your environment. The life footprint reflects the part of the equation in which you affect your environment.

You’ve almost certainly heard of the notion of a carbon footprint, which is generally a negatively-framed phenomenon. When you use energy, no matter in what form, you’re leaving behind a trace that contributes overall to global pollution. Some people’s carbon footprints are heavier than others, particularly if they use large amounts of fossil fuel products.

The life footprint, similarly, leaves behind a trace reflecting, in large part, how you relate to other people. You change the people around you by your actions, ways of relating to them, and decisions you make that affect their lives. The life footprint typically leaves more of a trace on people closest to you, but in some circumstances it might be just as large on a relative stranger as on your long-term partner.

Perhaps you have what seems like a random conversation with a person you meet in a public place, like waiting in line for your daily morning coffee and bagel. You might casually exchange observations about which choices are healthier. Your fellow breakfast patron expresses surprise when you note how much sodium is contained in that breakfast sandwich she's about to order. She then decides to switch to a lower-sodium alternative and this decision, over the course of time, may prove beneficial to her overall well-being. Even though you never see her again, you’ve just increased your life footprint by having a measurable impact on her health.

The life footprint can, unfortunately, also be negative. You’re driving through town and take your eyes off the road for one second (not by texting, I hope). You fail to see the bicyclist coming behind you and accidentally swerve into him. The unfortunate mishap causes him to dislocate his shoulder, and now he’s in for months of painful surgery and rehabilitation. He may never have the same use of his shoulder again.

Obviously, we’d all like to maximize our positive life footprint so that, over time, we leave the world a better place than it was when we entered it. You can’t predict every single incident that might hurt or benefit someone, and if you think about it too much, you might very well become immobilized. However, by keeping your mind focused on your overall life goals, you can increase the chances of leaving traces behind that will improve the lives of others.

With this background, here’s a 10-item quiz that can give you a start in measuring your life footprint. Answer each question on a 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) scale:

Other people thank me for the way I’ve helped them through difficult times.
The work I do (at home or on the job) makes it possible for someone else to live a better life.
A friend of a friend mentions that something I did made a difference in his or her life.
I feel that I have something valuable that I can contribute to others, and I try to live my life to help make that happen.
It’s important to me that the people in my family feel that I’m helping them.
I later heard that a random conversation I had with someone led to that person’s achieving an important life goal.
Without bragging, I think I can honestly say that my work or role in the family has a positive impact on others.
When I think about my life goals, what matters more is the effect I have on others rather than getting material rewards.
I’m conscious of the fact that what I do can and does leave a lasting impression on others.
I can think of several instances in which my advice helped someone make a good decision.

I’ve created the items on this quiz to serve as a guide not only to the “heaviness” of your footprint, but also to stimulate you to think about the ways in which you’re contributing to the world through your relationships with others, your work, and the smaller and less obvious interactions you have. If you’ve scored close to 50, you are definitely on your way to leaving a heavy footprint. If not, by answering these questions, you can start to reframe the way you view your life’s efforts.

More here Via psychologytoday