One of the more memorable speakers I saw at the recent TED conference was a young woman named Orly Wahba who had a very simple, yet powerful message.

The biography about her on the TED website explains: As a middle-school teacher, she wanted to make a difference in the life of her students, so she designed "Act of Kindness" cards. These super-simple cards contained directions such as "open the door for someone" or "invite someone to have lunch with you," along with an instruction to pass on the card once you were done.

She wanted her kids to see the ripple effect of kindness.

One day, some construction workers were outside her house. It was hot out, so she brought them drinks — and kindness cards. One of them got a card with the instruction "call your mother and father and tell them how much you love them." He hadn't seen his parents in 10 years; he approached her, incredulous. He just needed the prompt.

It's true – I think we all understand the beauty of the idea of "paying it forward" but sometimes we just need a prompt. That's why I want to share with you this video that Orly showed us in California. I hope it prompts you, as you head into your weekend, to think about the importance of the small gesture, and how it's the little things in life that add up to big things.


Be first to post a comment