The world can be a tough place to live in at times. We try our hardest to make it work, but things don’t always work out to plan. It’s a fast-paced environment where people get left behind or ignored, or simply forgotten about. If you don’t fit into a stereotype, you’re not one of the “in-crowd”.
(And you thought that stopped at high school.)
But you know, as fast as the world is and as unfair as it can be, we can still make it better in our own little ways. Nothing mind-breaking; nothing rocket science in nature. For example, this morning on Twitter I suggested this:
“Look at the first person in your Twitter stream and Direct Message them to say thank you for being a friend.”
Simple, easy and maybe just offering a little fun into our lives and the people around us. What was really nice to see was that people picked up on it.
If we can pick up on something as simple as this with people we may never have met physically, shouldn’t it be just as easy to do so with those we know? So let’s try it.
Look at the last “proper” email you received, reply to that person and say, “Thank you for being a friend.”
Look at the first name in your phonebook and call them to say, “Thank you for being a friend.”
Look at the first person on your Facebook friend list and say, “Thank you for being a friend.”
It’s easy to do. It doesn’t take much. Yet in a world that does its best to put us down at times, it can brighten up a whole day. And just so you know?
Thank YOU for being a friend.
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Gotta say it makes my whole day when someone retweets or promotes a link for me that I am trying to promote. Reciprocals are great…but an unsolicited R/T truly rocks
Stuart Foster´s last blog post..The State of the Micromediapshere – Guest Panelist
I totally agree! So many of us are in constant motion/under so much pressure to do/maintain/perform/succeed/keep it together, that it’s so important to be reminded of the “simple” things. Taking time out to perform a simple act of kindness like this (and to be the recipient of one!) is so fulfilling. Thanks, Danny… thanks for being a great NEW friend.
Gina LaGuardia´s last blog post..Tag: I’m It. (And so I interview myself…)
Twitter: timjahn
Thank YOU for this great reminder!
@Stuart
Totally! Puts a big smile on my face when someone randomly decides to share my content.
Twitter: gacconsultants
You can’t measure the return of investing your time and efforts into the lives of others; the rewards are immeasurable. Another great blog post Danny – thanks for the inspiration to be thoughtful of the little things in life; those are the most important.
Mark
Mark Harai´s last blog post..It’s Nice To Be Nice
@ Gina. Sometimes it’s easy to get swept along with pace, we forget about pacing. It’s definitely always good to slow down and take time out with each other. Glad to be your friend too.
@ Mark. It’s surprising how many people see the opposite point of view – “You mean there’s nothing in it for me?” type of outlook. Hopefully the likes of you, Gina, Tim, Stuart and others can make this view the exception rather than the norm.
I agree that being nice and courteous to the people around you, even if you haven’t worked or chatted with them in a while, can be a great gesture! Twitter and other social networking services offer the perfect opportunity to do this, as well.
Michael “Shogun” Hatamoto´s last blog post..Tech sales okay; consumers wait for Cyber Monday
Danny,
You should already know how I feel about giving a big thank you. I found it kind of funny because when I got home and wrote my last post . I then checked your blog and found this. I guess we had a mutual “TA-DA!” moment.
Adam Gainer´s last blog post..A Big Thank You To All of You