A lack of christmas spirit

"Leave everyone you come into contact with the impression of increase"
Wallace D Wattles

Increase - means you make people "richer" as a result of meeting / interacting with you.

And no, you don't have to share your money - hard earned or otherwise.

Have you ever smiled at someone? Have you noticed how invariably they smile back. If you do this on a busy street, your smile might just be a fleeting moment in someone else's busy lives. But I can almost guarantee that as you pass them, their automatic reaction is to smile back - even though you may not be the person to see it. Like a ripple moving across a pond, one smile can generate thousands.

One kind word nicely spoken can generate hope when there might not have been one before. A compliment - genuinely given makes both the giver and the receiver feel good.

You may see a co-worker struggling under a particularly bad workload - team work means you help one another when someone genuinely needs a helping hand. The cynical may say - but if I spend all my time helping others I won't get my own work done - and they're the ones who are usually talking about how busy they are....

Andrew Carnegie probably didn't start out to become a philanthropist - but several factors led him to become one. He was fortunate to be given free access to a collection of books - this collection was owned by a wealthy individual who wanted to share the knowledge he had gained with people he thought had potential. Andrew Carnegie of course had a lot of potential which translated itself into millions of dollars (probably equivalent to billions today) and that money was translated into the creation of Public Libraries - and of course - anyone not heard of Carnegie Hall?

Of course there are sceptics who will say - but no-one should have that kind of money in the first place, and doing so at the cost of the planet.... and they would be right, but the truth is - they have it, so why not use it for some good instead of it sitting in an account somewhere making the owner even richer.  These are the kind of people who hoard every penny, rarely if ever crack a smile and are a misery to be around. Bah humbug.

As you think about who you are, what you are currently doing and where you ultimately see yourself "when you grow up" - ask yourself this - how do you want to be known? What will your legacy be? Do you leave other people thankful they met you?

As we move into what I call "the silly season" sometimes it is the simple things that can and do bring the most pleasure. Spending time with someone who would otherwise be alone. Volunteering to do the "bad" shifts if your fellow workers have family. One of my friends does exactly that. He works for an organisation that runs 24/7 - he and his fellow "orphans" are working throughout the christmas and new year period so their colleagues who have youngsters can be with them.

There are many occupations that have to be on call, or work during this time. Hotel staff, catering staff, police, nurses, paramedics - and given the retailers perceived need to be open on boxing day this year - all the shop assistants who get a whole day off so "we" can buy even more stuff.

So - please, remember those who have to work and for goodness sake - cut them a bit of slack. Both my kids are in the fast food industry (great way to learn how to deal with difficult people etc) and the stories they tell....bad manners, rudeness, outright lying, oh and did I mention - bad manners.... this is a stressful time of year, but you can do your bit and it can and does start with a smile.

:-)