Most people have no idea how much influence they have.
You probably still remember something kind that was said to you years ago.
A teacher who believed in you.
A parent who encouraged you.
A friend who told you not to give up.
A stranger who said exactly what you needed to hear at exactly the right moment.
It is remarkable how little it takes to change the direction of someone’s day.
Or their year.
Or sometimes, their entire life.
A few honest words.
A compliment.
An expression of gratitude.
An encouraging sentence spoken without expecting anything in return.
Yet most of us keep those thoughts locked inside our heads.
We admire people silently.
We appreciate people silently.
We love people silently.
As though kindness were something that should be rationed.
Meanwhile, criticism flows freely.
The internet has made it easier than ever to tell people what is wrong with them.
What they should be doing differently.
What they are not good enough at.
The world is already overflowing with critics.
What it desperately needs is encouragers.
Which brings us to today’s lesson.
Tell people what you admire about them.
Encourage people when they’re struggling.
Say thank you more often.
Tell your friends that you’re proud of them.
Tell your children that you believe in them.
Tell your parents how much they mean to you.
Tell people when they have made your life better simply by being in it.
Do not wait until funerals to say beautiful things about the people you love.
Say them while they can still hear them.
One day, you will discover that many of the most important moments in your life came from a sentence somebody almost didn’t say.
Make sure your words become that sentence for somebody else.
You may never know the lives you changed.
And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about kindness.
It doesn’t need an audience to matter.
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