Make a Simple Gesture For a Huge Impact

On Valentine’s Day of 2001, when I was a freshman in college, I had given out some of those chintzy, cheapie little kid valentine cards (you know, the ones with the ridiculous cartoon characters on them) to some of my friends on my dorm floor and a few other people I knew who lived in the same building. One of those girls, let’s call her “Jane,” lived a few floors up from me. We had a mutual friend and hung out on occasion. I thought she was really nice so I left one on her door.

That night, Jane call my room. She said “Megan, thank you SO much for the card! It was actually the only one I received today. It really made my day to get yours and that you thought of me.”

[Insert tug at the heart HERE]. 💔

Who knew that some chintzy, cheapie little kid valentine card would have that big of an impact on someone’s day. Someone who was clearly forgotten about or was experiencing her own issues that no one knew about. I was 19 when this took place and haven’t forgotten about the story about Jane’s card all of these years.

The point of my story is that we can get so caught up in your own goals, struggles, challenges and drama — but what are we doing to help others who are going through that same stuff (or worse)? The gestures don’t have to be grandiose to have a big impact on someone’s day or life. A simple compliment or kind thought can go a long way. Tell someone at work they did a great job with that project. Send someone who has recently lost their job a note of encouragement that everything will be ok (here are some other tips). If someone you know is struggling with life in general, offer to listen over a cup of coffee.

So how about for today, if only for a few minutes, we put our crazy goals aside, forget about our job drama, and help brighten someone’s day with kindness. We go out there and give someone a symbolic chintzy, cheapie little kid valentine card. Simply show someone you care. You never know the impact you could have.

Here’s to helping,
Megan

Originally published at www.meganmwagner.com.