We humans are generally (usually) pretty adept at masking what’s really going on in our lives. This is especially true in the online world where we can’t see facial expressions or hear someone’s tone of voice. It’s easy enough for a person to share a really cute Facebook picture while crying. It’s really easy to pay someone a compliment on Twitter while you’re feeling really angry offline. You just never can be sure what a person is really thinking or really feeling. It’s like that meme going around showing a picture of a cat lounging by the computer. “Online, no one knows you’re cat.” So true.
Because we’re so darned good at keeping things to ourselves, people seldom, if ever, know when we could really use one kind word. But you get to those points, don’t you, where you feel like you’re in a desert and one nice word would seem like one big gulp of fresh water. It takes so little effort to send out a kind word (again, especially online). You can do it in 5 seconds.
So, I want to send out a challenge this Friday. Instead of doing “Follow Friday” on Twitter, or instead of just going through your daily grind as you always do, see if you can send one kind word or one kind thought to ten people. They can be anyone – people you work with, people in your family, Facebook friends, people you see on Twitter – whatever.
That’s not the end of your assignment, however. It’s easier for US to give out kinds words for other people than it is for us to say something nice about ourselves. We tend to shake off compliments, don’t we? A lot of us do. I know because I try to compliment people and get shrugged off. So, after you’ve sent out kindness to ten people, come back here and tell me something great about YOU. Yes, I want you to toot your own horn. I want you to brag a little. I want you to say about yourself what you keep wishing someone else would say about you. Even if you just say, “In doing this experiment I really made someone’s day today,” that’s great.
So, go forth, my fine readers. Be kind ten times and once for yourself.
I can’t wait to hear about your adventures!
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/granthassomepics/3773289628/ via Creative Commons