And not just for you, but also for somebody else, and that’s what matters the most.
Three times (at least) this past week, I found that a simple encouragement that took just a few seconds went a long way toward making a lasting difference in somebody else’s life. Actually, four times. Maybe more, but at least three, and I think it’s really four (or more).
The simple way it went, in each of these three instances (or maybe it was four or more): I said to somebody I care about, “Walk a little bit.”
How far? Well, some distance that’s farther than not walking at all. Do that, if not every day, then no less than three times a week. Start small. But start.
Why would somebody want to do this?
Here are three reasons, for starters:
- You will feel better.
- You will actually be better (than you would be if you did nothing).
- You will make somebody else feel better.
This comes with a guarantee. Every one of these three things will come true.
You will feel better
Human existence consistently surprises us because so many things go differently than we expect, hope, want, or plan. But no matter what, when you do something basically smart and productive, and you thereby renounce sluggishness and inaction, you feel better. It just works that way. Guaranteed.
You actually will be better (than you would be if you did nothing).
This one seems similar to the first one, except it goes beyond how you feel subjectively, and enters the realm of the objective. When you do something basically smart and productive (walking, in this case), you actually become better in multiple ways: mentally, physically, and often, most importantly, spiritually. Good action does good things to us. Simple, yes, but true. Guaranteed.
You will make somebody else feel better.
Because of the ripple effect we talked about yesterday, your good action instantly becomes important and positive to somebody who cares about you. When my friend on the other side of the country hit his walking goal this week, his wife felt better. I think she used the word “happy” and as we know, “happy” can be a big deal because of its elusiveness (especially sometime in relationships). So, when my friend walked, and hit his goal for that day, and he felt more like walking again and he set his health on a new upward trajectory, his wife felt good about it. It made her happy, too. Double bonus.
This kind of thing happens all the time when one person makes a good decision, even a small good decision. People who love that person feel better about everything. Tell me where you can find a better, less expensive natural boost than that. This works every time. Guaranteed.
Alright, yes, I know. Too easy. I know it can sound kind of cliche, and even inane to distill our complicated lives down to simple things like this. We get fed up with the surplus of useless fluff we come across every day. We ought to, because useless fluff is exactly that, and we don’t want to waste our time with it. But you know what? In this case, these three principles are not useless fluff. They really works. “Simple” sometimes means “powerful.” And definitely, that’s true here. Guaranteed.
Now go do something. (Not nothing.) I will, too.