I recently watched The Bucket List (2007) and found the movie to be highly inspirational and touching. In one part of the movie, (I won't spoil the film by giving context, in case some of you haven't seen it yet) two questions are asked:
- Have you found joy in your life?
- Has your life brought joy to others?
When thinking about what you want to do in your life, or what kind of person you want to be, we often focus on ourselves and not others. We focus on what we want to get out of life, what we want to achieve, who we want to know, what we want to do - and I guess a lot of people don't stop to think about their impact on others.
Do you want to be an inspirational person? Do you want to do good in the world? Do you want to volunteer? Do you want to give money to charity? Do you want to make a person's day a little bit brighter, just because you were there?
Here's an idea. Start off small. Today, make the effort to smile at people as you walk past them. Make the effort to say 'thank you' to those that assist you (such as bus drivers, cashiers, people who hold open doors). Make the effort to compliment someone (such as how quick the barrister made your coffee, or that you like the top that the sales assistant is wearing). Make the effort to act positively towards others.
When I'm having a bad day, and it's one of those days where I don't really want to talk to anyone, and I'm feeling a bit blue, I think to myself "what are these people going through?" I always think to myself, that this bus driver might have had an argument with his/her spouse this morning, so is feeling a bit low themselves. This cashier might have had the worst day ever, dealing with complaints, and any negative comment from me might push them over the edge, and upset them (think: the straw that broke the camel's back). Because of this, I try to make sure I'm polite and friendly to all people I encounter in a day, just in case someone is feeling as upset as I am. I know I wouldn't like to encounter someone who is being snotty and rude, if I were already upset.
And I can guarantee, if you do this - the smiling, the gratitude, the compliment - you will feel a bit better yourself, too. Just as you may be making someone's day a little better, you will make yourself feel better, too.
Once you have become comfortable with these little things, so that they become second nature to you, you may want to step it up and do more, such as volunteering, or giving money to a charity.
So have a think. Have you found joy in your life? And has your life brought joy to others?
