Exactly what is your motivation in life?   Back in the day our grandparents wanted their families to be secure.  They worked at the same job for 40 years, collected their pensions and retired.  They weren’t concerned that shoveling coal or sweating in a steel mill wasn’t “fulfilling”.  You were happy to work.  Our parents wanted to be successful and for us to do the same.  They wanted to climb their way to the top and stay there.  Then, it was “our” turn.  We just wanted to be happy and we want that for our kids.  More often than not, that explains why “Josiah”  is in 25 different sports and “Lexi” is taking 3 kinds of dance, playing soccer and tennis, and has piano lessons 2x/week.  Dinner together?  No, that just doesn’t happen.  Now something different is happening.  Today’s generation is concerned with being “famous”.  I always say that if you are really really famous that maybe, someday, if you’re lucky, some kid will be forgetting your name on a history test 100 years after you die.  Yet, that is the focus of kids growing up (or not growing up) in our world today.

However, what if you could be all of the above…at least socially?   What if you could be secure, successful, happy, and famous?  That would be nice huh, hmm, eh?  I have a simple challenge for all of us.  In earlier posts I talked about intentional ways to love and then much more detailed ways to really show someone that you care.   I hope that these tools are never far from your consciousness.  Today, I challenge you to try something simple.

Let’s take three subsets of people in your life.  The first is your closest of close.  It’s your spouse, your parents, your very best friend.  These are people you can be absolutely real with and they won’t think you have some ulterior motive.  The next group are people you are around most of the time.  Co-workers, friends, teammates, neighbors, etc.  They know you, you know them, it’s real…just not real real if you know what I mean.  The last group are the fringe.  You know them, you see them, but you’re not “down” with them.  These are generally the people who work around you but not with you, your teachers, the people in the “other” pod at work, your favorite “barista” (one of my most hated words fyi) at the coffee shop, etc.  Today, let’s see if we can do something quite unique.  Tell them why they are important to you.

That’s it.  That’s all.  You see, it’s really everyone’s need to know that they matter.  If you let them know that they do matter you accomplish much.  For them, they will feel loved, appreciated, blessed, supported, encouraged, secure (if but for even a moment), even comforted.  By simply saying, “I wanted you to know that seeing you working hard always makes me want to work hard too.” or “You are a great neighbor, thanks for the wave every time I drive by.” or perhaps, “Honey, I said ‘I do’ knowing nothing of what the future would hold.  Now, after having gone through so much…and looking at the years ahead, I’m so glad that you are mine and I said that so many years ago.” you are letting people know how much they matter, that they are important.  This one drop of love will quench their thirst in the desert of doubt most people battle throughout each day.  You will be secure in those relationships, successful in making someone’s day, happy in knowing you blessed somebody, and famous for standing out in a world of “me first” and cynicism.  The last one is the saddest but most true.  They will tell everyone they talk to about how “so and so” (you) said “the nicest thing to me today”.  You actually will get “credit” for something you are supposed to do.

So that’s the challenge.  It costs you nothing.  It doesn’t even take up your time.  It risks little.  It has the potential to leave a lasting impact.  I’m in…who’s with me?