Smile. Volunteer. Appreciate. Celebrate.
The second segment in our series, A Remarkable Way, with International Speaker and FISH! trainer Deena Ebbert, talking about simple and powerful ways to “Make Their Day”.
It would be a wonderful thing, but now may not the most convenient time to throw a great big surprise party with hundreds of people, So, what are some of the subtle and wonderful things that we can do to make someone else’s day?
Your FISH! Philosophy friends have four suggestions:
SMILE – The first one is really simple… it’s smile. When you do see another human being, even if they’re across the street or on the other side of the grocery store, it’s absolutely okay to smile at them. You might be the only person who has smiled at them all day, and a simple smile can be a true day brightener.
VOLUNTEER – The second thing you can do is ease a path. This might require a little more planning and a little more work. Think… is there something that you can bring to the table that will make it easier for another person? Can you pick up and deliver the basics they need? Can you do a little bit of cleanup for them? Can you help organize? Can you provide a service that someone may not be able to manage themselves but for which you might have a skill, gift, or talent? This is the beauty of volunteerism; because sometimes making a day is just a little thing that’s really easy for you, but one that makes a big difference to someone else.
APPRECIATE – The third step is very basic: please and thanks. A person can have big impact with a please and a thank you. The other day I was at the grocery store and noticed some of the folks who were cleaning and restocking the shelf. I caught the eye of one fellow and I and said, “Hey, has anyone said thank you to you yet today? Because if not, I’d like to let you know how much you’re appreciated.” He turned and looked at me, and I kid you not, he had tears in his eyes when he said, “Nobody’s said thank you to me in days.” Consider the power of the basic please and thank you.
CELEBRATE – The fourth step in the Make Their Day aspect of A Remarkable Way is – if someone in your world is a hero – let them know. Let them know. If we review what we were exploring in our first segment, Be There, there are so many ways to celebrate your heroes. You can call on the phone you, send a text, write a note to let them know… “You are my hero. You did something wonderful.” You can comment to them on social media. You can leave them a note in sidewalk chalk. Let people know when they are your heroes. They can be people out in the big wide world, but they can also be the people who are the closest to you in your life. If someone has supported you socially or emotionally or with their skill, gift, and talent, it’s okay to say, “Hey, you made my day. You made my day. Thank you.”
And thank YOU! The folks at ChartHouse Learning want to let you know how much we appreciate you. For over 20 years, on sunny days and days that are gone kind of sideways, you still bring that sense of joy to the world in the ways that you make days for other people.
So… Smile. Volunteer to ease the path. Let people know that you appreciate them. And celebrate your heroes.
I’m Deena Ebbert on behalf of your friends at ChartHouse Learning. We appreciate you. Thanks.
Check out the video conversation on YouTube
