or “way to go!”

at the end of my morning run, a car passed by and from the rear window a young girl shouted out “you can do it!”  hearing that made me feel like a million bucks.  it was like she held out a bubble wand of good karma.  then she said it to my running mate a few moments later as she passed by.

how sweet for someone to be that encouraging.  it didn’t cost her anything but gave me so much.

there are so many little uplifting expressions we can share:
“way to go !”
“looking good !”
“nice job !”
“you can do it !”
“good for you !”

small adjustment:  look for an opportunity to provide encouragement to a stranger.  say something positive.  watch their reaction.  how does it feel?

The untimely passing of Steve Jobs has me thinking that down deep inside, we all want to make a difference.  The world desperately needs us to. To use our talents in service to helping each other.  To make the journey of another easier and better.  Small or grandiose, what matters is that we’re all pulling in the right direction.

This seems to be what Steve Jobs was after. When you look at the story of his life and listen to the words that he spoke, the fact that he created a widely successful platform was almost a forgone conclusion. The phenomenal success of Apple and his personal fortune were merely by-products of his success at listening to his own heart and intuition and finding a way to share his gifts.

Steve felt that the idea of death was a great motivator. It is. We’re only here for a short time. We’re mortal.

He once said “I want to put a dent in the universe.”

His passing has me asking the question, “what kind of difference can I make today (and everyday)?”

small adjustment: through our actions today, what is the difference we’re making in the world?

How many times has someone around you sneezed or cried (especially kids) and could really use a tissue? How cool to be able say “here you go” and hand over a whole (mini) pack?

It’s not like carrying one around is going to weigh you down, right? I’ve road tested this; having a small pack nearby will come in very handy.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. " ~ Aesop

small adjustment: buy a package of (mini) tissue packs and keep one in your handbag / briefcase / backpack. a small thing you can do for others that you would appreciate if done for you.

note: inspired by a significant being in my life and brought back by a comment by Tim Johnson on Jim Connolly’s blog post – The Marketing Power of Giving.