Thoughtfulness isn't always a monetary gesture, a present, or a material gift presented to someone in gratitude or exchange for something. Sure, it's thoughtful to give someone flowers for their birthday, or send a card when someone experiences a loss in the family. But we shouldn't have to wait for events to provide this sort of thoughtfulness, this certain level of compassion.

You would be amazed how many stories and life experiences those working in customer service have to share. It's their job to put other's needs before theirs, ensuring their experience is as great as it can be. Everyone has a history, a breaking point, and a collection of passions. To me, uprooting those conversation starters is something far beyond rewarding; to peel away at surface talk, to manifest a smile where a pseudo-grin was once held, and to grant them a small moment where they are finally able to breathe for words and stories so true to their lives.

I live for making others feel special.

I got my nails done the other week at a local place just up the road. Never had I been there before, but an older man with a lethargic, stale tint to his face showed me to my seat. I opened the conversation with a compliment (something we all need to do more often. "What a lovely salon this is! Perfect location right off the main road there." A slight bump in language barrier, but he replied "Thank you, thank you. I like it here," a perfect segue into what ended up being one of the most memorable times I've spent in a nail salon.

This guy must have expended all of his energy sharing a story of how his father was a Vietnam war vet, leaving him head of the household at a time when his family's health and wealth were merely shadows of a larger, deteriorating mountain. We shared our reasons behind choosing to be vegetarian, and gawked over how we are inclined to side with nature's medicine—at one point he went in the back office just to show me his daily bottle of magnesium supplements. We swapped philosophies, investing in what the other had to say, ignoring the basketball game playing in the background and other customers walking about.

This man was not the man I had approached upon walking through the doors of his shop. This man was incredibly wise, providing me with lists of tricks on how to be a parent and raise a family under the influence of respect. He was bashful, and often stopped working on my nails to elaborate a story, using his hands as an articulating component to his speech.

He came alive.

Every day, we all are working for a greater tomorrow, are striving for better, and are working away with what we have. While some of us are better off, others are struggling to get through the day. While some people find joy in their workplace, others are scraping out the corners of their lives just to find comfort. Bottom line—we are all human. We all deserve to laugh, love, find humility in our weaknesses, and share a common smile for the promise in today. This elderly Vietnamese man and I come from such opposite backgrounds, but we found a grand appreciation for each other's lives.

So, I challenge you to be thoughtful. Write someone a letter thanking them for their influence or impressions they've created in your life. Don't just hold a door open for someone, but smile, make eye contact, and offer a "hello." Before placing your order at a restaurant, beat the employee to their spiel and catch them off guard to create a break in their routine.

When getting gas in your car, talk about something other than the weather or growing gas prices (that's probably 99 percent of their daily conversations). Whatever it is that you do, make an impact in someone's life. We do far too many things for ourselves, and the things we do for others are more times than not out of pity or exchange for something else.

Be thoughtful, be courteous, and make someone's day just that much brighter.