We live in a time when everybody on the planet could use a little more Encouragement, Optimism and Belief that the world still is a great place to be.
Every day, you and I can be the reason someone believes they Matter, that they are Significant.
So, here’s why you might wish to consider the positive impact you can have on other people’s lives, whether they are family, friends or complete strangers.
One of the deepest human needs we all have, is to believe that we MATTER, that we have SIGNIFICANCE. Every day everyone on this planet can choose to GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO LET OTHER PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY MATTER—OR NOT.
Unfortunately, the OR NOT action is far more popular than the other.
It takes so little effort on our part to brighten someone’s day.
I heard the story a man who recalled an experience he had when he was only 8 years old. He and his father were walking in a park. A homeless woman was pushing a cart toward them, and as she passed, she dropped something. His father bent down, picked up the item, and handed it to her, and held her by the arm for a moment. Then, in his characteristic way, he said something that made her laugh.
Without a doubt, he made her day. But as they walked away, the young boy turned to his father and whispered, “Dad. “You shouldn’t talk to those kinds of people.” His father smiled and said something he will always remember.
“Be kind to everyone son—everyone’s having a hard day.”
What a simple, profound lesson. You never know when your kind words or act will make a difference in someone’s life.Everybody usually has something going on in their life that may be taking away from their belief that life is a great place to be and that they do matter to others.It really takes so little effort on our part to give others a sense that they have significance. As a matter of fact, sometimes it’s just as simple as a brief smile, or a nod of the head.
Too often people get so caught up in their own struggles in life that they don’t even realize how uplifting it can be to give away a little of themselves to other people.
By the way, any time we give away a little energy to other people, we automatically get it back and feel better about ourselves. It’s the old “whatever you give out, you get back”, in action.
People who work in large offices every day, often walk by other people like they are objects, like pieces of furniture. Often when I am walking down the street in large cities, I observe how people stare at the ground or straight ahead and seem to ignore that there are people sharing the same planet with them. They are simply caught up in their own little world and seem to be so pre-occupied with going somewhere and totally ignoring the other people they share the universe with.
The elevator is another interesting territory. It has been my experience that It seems like it is an unwritten law that people are NOT TO TALK on an elevator, but to get on, push a button and then stare at the numbers either ascending or descending. Rarely do you hear people greet other people on elevators or strike up a conversation. I do. I can tell you that it has never given me a negative result. Some people seem to be taken aback by the experience, since I am sure their first thought must be, “doesn’t this guy know the “elevator laws”. They seem to get over it fairly quickly though. Try it!
Helping people to know they matter can be passed along as simply as smiling at someone. I mean a REAL smile, not one of those plastic, expedient, “it’s the polite thing to do, smiles.” Complete strangers can be positively impacted by a sincere smile from someone else in passing. Everyone we meet has their own set of challenges and difficulties that they are carrying around with them, and you just never know when the thoughtfulness you give out may make a tremendous difference.
With these times we are living in right now, I’m sure you would agree that everybody could really use a glimmer of kindness, caring, hope and believing that they MATTER!
You can be that GLIMMER!
