Meaningful Returns

I had breakfast on Friday with a good friend of mine. Since it was Friday, and since we were two good friends having breakfast, it was a lot of fun. And actually, even if you had just a combination of two out of those three–Friday, Friend, and Breakfast–you’d be hard pressed to complain with any thread of justification.

Still, though, our waitress had this to say: “You guys are by far my favorite table–everyone else in here is grumpy.”

We looked at each other incredulously, because, how?

I have no idea. But here’s the thing: people are watching. They may act like they aren’t, like they couldn’t care less about you, but they’re still paying attention. Your job isn’t to try and please all of them; it’s to be the best version of yourself. And if you’re ever wondering how to be the best version of yourself, start with someone else.

What I mean is, the choice to treat others with compassion is perhaps the most powerful act a human being can ever accomplish.