Malcolm Gladwell wrote about The Tipping Point, but I think there's something more subtle - and maybe even more powerful - in turning points.

To reach a tipping point, we first have to go through a turning point. A business, after all, can't reach a tipping point without the founder deciding to launch the business. An idea in a book can't spread without the author deciding to write the book. And our opinions of people are formed by watching their actions.

Watch someone in a moment of grand selfishness, your feelings toward them change, and it can be a turning point in your relationship.

What's interesting about turning points is that they can be big or small, positive or negative, minor or major. In each instance though they have the potential to be extremely powerful.

I think most of us would do well to think for a moment about whether our turning points are helping us reach the tipping points we want.