“Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition.”
– Cavett Robert

Read this quote and then read it over again. It says a lot about our world and what people consider to be important. Everyday you hear someone talking about people being hungry and how we need to help feed them but do you hear people up in arms because tender souls are being crushed without words of encouragement?

Our American society is more aware of the importance of kind words and uplifting thoughts than many other countries. I grew up in Southeast Asia and attended some of the local schools there. The way children were treated at that time was criminal in my book and I still suffer from things I experienced while attending there. I can only imagine how much worse it must have been for those who were in this type of environment for their entire school life. Fortunately for me, my parents did not keep me in this environment long term so I had a chance to see school in a more positive light as well.

Depending upon your particular family environment, you either grew up with positive encouraging words or negative discouraging ones. You know how it has affected you throughout your life. Everyday you interact with people who have lived or are living in a negative world. No one encourages them or speaks kindly to them. They may even be victims of verbal abuse. If you could offer them one kind word of appreciation, it could make all the difference.

Are you willing to accept that challenge? Try to interact positively with at least one person today. It will benefit you and the other individual.