There is absolutely no way for you to read people's minds so that means you can never fully understand what they have been through or what they are currently dealing with. Someone could be dealing with a difficult family life, gotten a bad grade on the exam that they studied so hard for, managing health conditions, or constantly struggling with anxiety. Whatever the magnitude of the situation, everyone deals with things in their own way.
"You are fabulous!"
I had a professor that is in the words of the group of friends that I sit with is "fabulous." I saw her outside of class and felt the need to tell her and I even told her that we think she is "the Beyonce of Auburn University." To this, she replied with thanks but also said that everyone has rough times. The next day I saw her in passing and told her again "you're fabulous!" She smiled and asked how I was doing. After this interaction, I felt kind of silly because what if she thinks I am kind of crazy or what if that comment was unnecessary.
Then I realized what she shared with me the night before, that everyone has bad days. It dawned on me that maybe she really needed to hear that "she is fabulous" from someone that day or maybe my comment was something to brighten her already great day. The truth is I will never know what she thought about this but I know that I will continue to share positive thoughts with others because you never know when they need it most.
The little things make big differences
Think if everyone vocalized every kind thought that they felt towards someone else, what a great world we would live in! Things like "you have a nice smile," "your personality lights up the room," or even "thank you for all that you do" could make people smile a little more and even pass along a compliment to someone else! I challenge you to say something kind to someone every day to lift others spirits and through the process, maybe even your own.
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