Instead of drifting along like a leaf in a river, understand who

Hear the voice of Jane Fonda, a woman forged in the fires of struggle and renewal, speaking with the authority of one who has lived much and seen more: “Instead of drifting along like a leaf in a river, understand who you are and how you come across to people and what kind of an impact you have on the people around you and the community around you and the world, so that when you go out, you can feel you have made a positive difference.” This is not the idle thought of one content to live passively. It is the battle cry of one who knows that life, short and fragile, demands awareness, intention, and responsibility.

To drift like a leaf in a river is to live without aim, carried wherever the currents of chance may flow. It is to allow circumstance and others’ choices to shape your destiny, while you remain unknowing of your own power. Fonda calls us higher. She demands that we awaken to our identity, that we discern the image we project and the impact it leaves. For every life touches another, and every action sends ripples beyond what the eye can see. To live unaware is to sleep through your own existence; to live with awareness is to step into the realm of the truly human.

The ancients too warned against drifting. In the writings of Seneca, the Stoic sage declares: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” The leaf may float, but it cannot steer. The man or woman who lives without self-knowledge and purpose may exist, but they cannot truly live. By contrast, the one who knows themselves, who understands their gifts, flaws, and presence in the world, becomes like a captain steering through storm and calm alike, shaping their life into a voyage of meaning.

History reveals luminous examples. Think of Martin Luther King Jr., who might have lived quietly in his own community, carried along by the currents of his time. But instead, he chose to awaken to his calling, to understand the impact his words and actions could have. By doing so, he moved not only his people but the conscience of a nation. He did not drift like a leaf in a river—he became the river itself, carrying generations toward justice. His life testifies to Fonda’s teaching: to live consciously, to act purposefully, is to leave behind a positive difference that endures.

Yet the teaching is not reserved for the mighty. Even the smallest act, done with awareness, can shape the lives of others. A kind word offered to one in despair, the courage to stand against cruelty in daily life, the resolve to live with integrity—these choices, though small, ripple outward endlessly. Fonda reminds us that each soul is part of a greater fabric: family, community, and world. To know this truth is to recognize that your life is not your own, but part of a living web, where your impact is always felt.

The lesson, then, is clear: refuse to be a leaf. Do not let life happen to you in blindness. Instead, awaken to the truth of who you are, and walk deliberately in the world. Ask yourself daily: What effect do I leave on those I touch? Do I bring peace or discord, healing or harm, hope or despair? For the one who asks these questions, and who answers them with courage, will find at life’s end the comfort of knowing they left the world brighter than they found it.

Practical steps follow from this wisdom. Seek self-knowledge through reflection, writing, prayer, or meditation. Speak with trusted companions to understand how you are perceived, for others see in you what you may not see in yourself. Choose intentional actions each day that lift others, even in small ways. Give more than you take, listen more than you speak, and act with a vision beyond yourself. In these practices, you will craft a life not of drifting, but of meaning.

So remember Jane Fonda’s counsel: Do not drift like a leaf in a river, but live with purpose, knowing your impact, and striving always to leave a positive difference. For the river of time carries us all, but only those who awaken to their power will shape the current as they pass. These are the ones whose lives become a beacon, guiding others long after their own voyage has ended.