With the popularity of social media, we've become a culture of narcissists. Try scrolling through Facebook, for example, and see how many times people spew their own opinions but refuse to accept someone else's. Usually it's an exchange of name calling and insults if you dare say someone's opinion isn't the only, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Now scroll through Instagram or Snap Chat and what do you see? Selfies of everyone, often multiple ones every day, day after day. Did you change SO MUCH that others won't recognize you if you posted say, just one selfie a week? What about Twitter? It's a little better because usually there's less selfie posts, but again, try disagreeing with someone's opinion or dare to see things from a different perspective and expect lots of people you never even heard of to jump down your throat with insults. The saddest part is that culture accepts that this is just the way it is. "Get used to it." But I'm here to say something different:
WHAT IF INSTEAD, WE SPENT EVERY DAY PURSUING ADDING VALUE TO OTHERS?
Adding value? To others? What does that mean?! It means to live with the intentional purpose of adding value to the lives of those you come in contact with every day. How about being a giver instead of always a taker? Take your eyes off of yourself for a moment and really look at the people around you. If you do, you'll see people who need empathy, encouragement, a friend, help, comforting, to learn how to do something, volunteers, someone who'll listen, motivation, inspiration, confidence, advice (this is very different from just an opinion), answers, or just to know someone cares about them.
Did you ever think about how many lives you come across every single day? How many opportunities do you have to either add value to someone else? How many times we blow it and add to their troubles thinking it'll make us feel better about ourselves? Here's a few that you may interact with (face-to-face, not online) on a regular basis:
spouse, children, security person where you live, the person where you get coffee/breakfast, cashier at a store, front desk person at work, coworkers, bosses, clients/customers, lunch restaurant servers, cashiers, managers, and host/hostess, other customers in the restaurant, another cashier on the way home, people in the store(s) you shop in, people in your group or class, teachers, teammates, and although they aren't people, you also interact with your pets.
In one day you could easily interact with 12 - 50 people or more. Some statistics show in our lifetime we have interactions with 80,000 people! And that's doing it UNintentionally. Do you think it could change a few things if we added value to the lives of just 50,000? What if there were just 100 of us doing that? Most of us have that many people on just one social media account. We could make over 5 million lives better than before our encounter! That can change a home, workplace, business, community, state, even a country! All it takes is a moment here and there to intentionally make the effort.
Where to start? How about saying hello instead of just passing by someone? Asking someone how their day is and actually stopping to wait for an answer, looking at them? How about listening to what people are saying instead of worrying what we'll say next? Could you say something positive, complimentary, or encouraging to your spouse, kids, coworkers, or someone waiting on you? Could you do something small once in a while to show someone often overlooked that you notice them? What about telling someone they do a good job that's normally overlooked - treat the janitor the way you'd treat the CEO of a company. Make eye contact when talking to people instead of staring at your phone, desk, paperwork, or something else. Tell someone to have a good day/night when you're leaving. Smile at someone who looks lonely (not in a creepy way, lol, just a quick, neutral smile to say you notice them). It only takes a few seconds, a few words, a very tiny effort, to make a huge impact on people. In a world growing darker and more self-absorbed, be that little light that shines in the darkness. Be the person that makes them happy to see. Help them feel better about themselves with just a little bit of purposeful interaction.
Add value to the lives of those around you. Make the world a better place. When you learn to live like this on a daily basis, you'll find you automatically begin to live a more simple life because the drama is reduced, the typical opposing view flare ups get farther and fewer between, and you'll eventually find those people interacting with YOU in a more positive way, more often. You can do this challenge. Start today. And if you find a tense situation diffused, or a sad looking person suddenly perk up, or you made someone else smile - comment on here and let me know.
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