From recent posts on the Jack’s Winning Words blog come these two quotes that just seem to belong together…
“Be nice to people…maybe it will be unappreciated, unreciprocated, or ignored, but spread love anyway. We rise by lifting others.” (Germany Kent)
“What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you.” (Oprah)
What a nice way to start the week off, by getting in a giving frame of mind. The Bible says, “Give and it will be given to you” – Luke 6:38
When we hear the word “give” our thoughts immediately turn to our wallets and money. There are certainly more than enough appeals going on at any one time to empty out our
wallets and we are a generous and compassionate people. However, what the Bible and these two quotes really mean at their core it to give of yourself – your time, your attention and your love. Give that to others and it truly will come back to you.
What does it cost you to be nice to people? The time and attention and love that you show to someone else by being nice to them doesn’t come out of your wallet, it comes from your heart and it is more precious than anything that you might have in your wallet.
Walking by a beggar on the street and perhaps tossing a few cents or a dollar in their cup is really a form of ignoring them and their plight. You make them go away in your mind, because you tossed that money their way. After all it’s too much of a bother to stop and talk to them, to try to find out how they got there and what would really help them escape the cycle of poverty that they are in. Our government tends to take that approach all too often.
You may not see a beggar today; but, there are hundreds of people that you might meet who are hungering for someone to talk to or from whom they would appreciate some acknowledgement and perhaps the sharing of a friendly smile. If you ask someone, “How ae you doing?” and they start to tell you about an issue in their life; do you mentally say
here’s a dollar and wish you could walk away or do you pay attention and offer your support?
You don’t have to try to solve other people’s problems for them; however, by listing, empathizing, and perhaps offering your advice; you may help them see how to solve their problems themselves. At a minimum, you may make them feel better and perhaps you will feel your boat rise a little too by helping them raise theirs.
So, be nice to others this week. I think you’ll see a good return on that investment.
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