“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” – Brennan Manning
Of all the gifts that we could ever give to another person, none holds more potential than giving life itself. And I love the idea that every interaction I have with another human being offers me that grand opportunity.
It doesn’t matter if my next encounter is a short conversation, an email, a meal, or a 4-hour business meeting, it always offers me the same opportunity… to brighten another’s existence by breathing life into theirs.
Once correctly understood and applied, this simple, profound thought calls us to be more intentional, more thoughtful, and more persistent. It calls us to…
- Smile more.
- Hug more.
- Give more compliments.
- Write more love notes.
- Offer more forgiveness.
- Ask more follow-up questions.
- Show more interest.
- Have more compassion.
- Talk to more children.
- Remember more names.
- Leave bigger tips.
- Use kinder words.
- Laugh at more jokes.
- Make more eye contact.
- Treat others to more coffee.
- Listen more intently.
- Give more time.
- Stop to catch-up longer.
- Promote others more often.
- Be more optimistic.
- Be more sympathetic.
- Be more patient.
- Celebrate more successes.
- Ask to pray more often.
- Dream bigger dreams for others.
- Cook more meals.
- Ask elders for more advice.
- Spend more time reminiscing with old friends.
- Donate more to charity.
- Remember more details.
- Sing more songs.
- Display more affection.
- Give more apologies.
- Focus less on differences.
- Invite more to come along.
- Read more books to your child.
- Offer to help more often.
- Trust more.
- Give more responsibility.
- Say more thank-you’s.
Give more life. Because there, you’ll find more for yourself as well.
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Chris says
Beautiful ! Thanks for emphasizing on the positive and that which does not require money or working in the helping profession /volunteering or “standardized “ways of givig back. It is truly ALL Good!
Anne says
I enjoy your writing but was a little bemused by the comment of the first person when she stated that 95% of the population was “selfish and self-serving”. Where exactly is this arbitrary figure from? Talk about making a generalisation. I was reminded of the writing of James Kerr and Matthew Johnstone when they spoke of negativity and how your outlook on life related to your outcome. They also note that the faults you are so quick to point out in others are often your own in disguise. True, selfish and self-serving behaviours exist but I imagine that all we humans fall prey to them on occasion.
Sue says
Thank you for this inspiring and incredible list. I’m going to put this list of 40 things up next to my desk as a constant reminder to do all these things more often (and to challenge myself to try and do as many as possible every day!)
DeDe Mishkit says
Very encouraging words that we all need to hear!!
Rachelle says
what an inspiring list! give more compliments is one that i’m good at, and remember more names is one i need to work on. it’s nice to see this all in one place, and i’m definitely bookmarking it!
Matt says
Love your site. Clean, simple. Great content. Cheers!
Carrie says
Tripe? not!
42. sign your organ donar card in the back of your wallet!
Jed Share says
Beautiful, actionable post. By being specific as you are, a person can reflect and improve. Small steps are often the best way to make progress, and in the case of creating a kinder, gentler world its a big project that will need many small steps.
Gretchen says
I couldn’t agree more.