Make Someone's Day. I Dare You.

I don't know when it happened, but sometime, maybe in the past fifteen years or so, I have adopted this ethos that I try to live by.  I have a strong belief that when you love someone, admire someone, respect someone, appreciate someone...you should be real with them.  Tell them.  Tell them today.  And again tomorrow.  And as much as it takes until they GET IT.  Because on this amazing and beautiful adventure we call life, so much of the message we hear is NEGATIVE.  For some unknown reason, the negative are the words we speak, when the reality is that for most of us, the negative are the MINORITY.  We lose track of that.

I noticed in my life people would often say to me, about someone I knew or cared about, things like, "She is BRILLIANT."  "He is one of the kindest people I know."  "She is really an incredible lady."  "No one works harder than she does."  "He really went out of his way for me."  "I just admire him so much."  "I really couldn't have asked for anyone better."  This happened so many times, and I realized people were saying and thinking all these incredible things about each other, AND THEY NEVER EVEN KNEW IT.  And it broke my heart. Every. Single. Time.

I decided to do something about it.  I have an incredible memory.  When things make an impression on me, I will remember it.  Tomorrow, next week, probably twenty years from now.  I'm not talking about big things, I'm talking about little things.  Conversations.  Notes.  A kind word.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized most of us have that same kind of memory about things that make a difference.  It's just that we don't get to hear those things very often.

So I promised myself anytime anyone told me something wonderful about someone I knew, I would share it with that person at the first opportunity.  I decided a long time ago when I hear something awesome about someone, they need to hear it, too.  It usually goes something like this, "Hey, I was talking to so-and-so the other day, and he had nothing but wonderful things to say about you.  I promised myself a long time ago that when someone tells me something great about someone else, I would share it with that person directly, so I just want you to know they said you......"  The result is always beautiful.

Will you do me a favor?  The next time someone tells you something wonderful about someone you know, will you tell them?