When Showing People You Care, Do More of THIS... - Be Yourself and the Rest Will Follow®

Did you ever watch the television show, The Facts of Life?

I used to love that show growing up and, boy, did I get a dose of nostalgia when I happened to catch a re-run of it on TV Land recently.

In case you don’t remember or recognize the show, it revolved around the trials and tribulations of four adolescent girls (Blair, Jo, Natalie and Tootie) who attended a prestigious boarding school and were under the care of housemother, Ms. Garrett.

On the episode I caught, it was Ms. Garrett’s birthday, and wanting to give her as grandiose a birthday gift as the affluent Blair got her, Jo, Natalie and Tootie decided to shoplift after discovering the blouse they wanted cost more than they could afford.

Well, long story short, Ms. Garrett soon discovered the blouse was stolen when trying to exchange it for a smaller size and … enter teachable moment here … sat the girls down to remind them that stealing is wrong.

… to which the girls responded that they knew stealing was wrong, but they wanted to get her a really special gift for her birthday.

… to which Ms. Garrett responded, “Girls, what brings people together isn’t the annual, big giving, but the day-to-day giving.”

When it comes to showing people you care, are you doing THIS enough?

Now, the point of this post isn’t to remind you that stealing is wrong. (I know none of you would do that!)

But it is to say that while the big “milestone” gestures, such as giving someone a birthday gift or calling someone to say “Happy Holidays”, are nice, the smaller, day-to-day gestures are often more meaningful.

Gestures like…

… calling someone just to say “Hello, how are you? I’m thinking of you.”

… inviting someone to do something with you (and your friends). (Being inclusive is a small gesture with a HUGE impact!)

… bringing someone a meal when they’re not feeling well.

… inviting someone (especially someone who looks like they don’t know anyone) to sit next to you at a dinner party.

The list could go on! (What would you add? Let me know in the comments below!)

Here’s the thing. The big gestures are the obvious ones. Most of us automatically think to think of someone on the special occasions. (They’re almost too easy!)

To really show people we care, we need to remember (and practice) this…

So, here’s a challenge from me to you. For each day this week, pick one person for whom you can perform one small gesture – and do it!

I promise you, your gesture may seem small, but to the other person, it’ll be HUGE!

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To small gestures,