EVERYONE Should Experience This Kind of Love!
It’s the day after my birthday that I’ve begun to write this. The love that so many of you shared with me on my birthday overwhelmed me. For every person that sent a text, email, commented on my wife's facebook post about me, made a comment on my facebook timeline, or even just hit the like button...well...I just paused for a moment and thought about how our lives intersected, the influence you've had on my life, and how glad I am that we know each other. By the end of the day, I had formed a dream that EVERY person on this planet should experience the same outpouring of love that I did.
So, I began to think about how this outpouring of love and caring came to be. I’ve come to the conclusion that even the slightest action someone took emanated from the inherent good that lies inside of that person. People that I haven’t spoken with in decades chose to renew that connection that we established at some previous point in time. That caused me to reflect deeply about how I came to be connected to each person, how that connection grew, and how each connection had in some way influenced who I am today. I was able to successfully tie each individual to a specific moment(s) of joy in my life. Gratitude was pouring out of me like an endless river. That’s when it hit me. What would need to occur for everyone to experience love, support, and that fact that someone else believes in them at least one day per year? I may have found an answer that could at least get the process started.
If you asked any family member of mine what my favorite movie is, they would immediately answer with “It’s a Wonderful Life, he’s watched it over 100 times” (which is only a slight exaggeration). Recently, my wife bought tickets for us to see a play of the radio broadcast of It’s a Wonderful Life and am I ever glad she did. The cast and crew were outstanding, and it followed the primary wording of the movie including the line “Each man’s life touches so many other lives.” It’s that line that my mind went to as I thought about all the people that had reached out to me on my birthday.
Going back to the people that reached out on my birthday, and the reflection of how we became connected, I’ve realized that the line “Each person’s life touches so many other lives” is indeed true and has great value for all of us. Thinking of all the people that reached out, I am but ONE of the people that THEIR life has touched. It’s hard to imagine that they would have taken the time to reach out if they didn’t have at least a tiny bit of belief in who I am and how I live my life. At least, that’s the way I interpreted it. Why? Because I wrote a book based on the power of believing in ourselves and others. I’ve been witness to what people can do if they just believe in themselves. Having other people believe in them empowers them to achieve so much more. Others believing in them is the antidote to them allowing self-doubt to occupy their thoughts.
There’s good inside each and every one of you. So, here’s what I’m asking of you. If you’re inherently lazy, I still believe in you and all I’ll ask is that you go on to social media and like as many posts as is appropriate. If you’re inspired while doing it, choose the heart instead of the like just to let the person know you believe in them. If you’re super-inspired, write a short comment in the form of a compliment. You’ll feel good, so will they, and the world will have taken one positive step forward.
After you’ve spent some time lifting others up on social media, make a list of all the people you believe in. It’ll be a long list if you really think it through and assess the role they’ve played in your life. Creating the list is fun. Then you can visit the next level of fun when you reach out to each person in some way and tell them that you believe in them. It’s the purest form of encouragement and a powerful tool that all of us can plug in and turn on.
By the way, you needn’t wait for an individual’s birthday to encourage them and let them know that you believe in them. The best time to do so is between the time you wake up and the time you go to sleep on any of the 365 days of the year. And don’t feel that you’re limited to telling them only one time. Repetition is your friend here and is a proven method of anchoring how you really feel. One last bit of advice with this, manage your expectations so that you never expect the other person to respond in kind about you. Often, responding in kind will naturally happen, but it’s not the reason you should ever initiate it. Let it initiate in your heart, and it will fill your soul.
If you’re feeling inspired and want to give this goodness strategy a tryout right now, then stop reading and call someone you believe in right now. Just call them. The words will flow. Start out by telling them “Hey…I was just thinking about how much I admire and believe in you.” It’ll be one of the best conversations you’ll ever have.
Now you know the reason that when you open the book I wrote “The Answer Discovery,” taking up the entire very first page, are the words Hey…I Believe In YOU! It’s also the way I finish each article I write, which means it’s time for YOU to get busy with what I’ve asked you to do each time an opportunity comes to your mind and time for me to say “Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!