The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

I witnessed something incredible the other day and I had to share with you guys! On my flight to Cleveland an older gentleman (who happened to be a war veteran) had pre-boarded, but had to wait in a first class seat before going to his assigned seat. After everyone had boarded, the flight attendants explained that he had two seat options, one middle seat a ways back and an aisle seat towards the back of the plane. Before the older man had a chance to decide, a man behind him offered up his first class seat and headed towards the middle seat in the back of the plane. He acted so fast the older gentleman didn’t even have time to turn and say thank you. There was nothing in it for the man that gave up his seat, yet he acted with such certainty in that moment. A moment that brought me and a few flight attendants to tears.

That man’s selfless gesture was bigger than most will do in a lifetime, and it made me reflect quite a bit. What had I done lately for someone other than myself? I have to be honest, I came up blank. Maybe some spare change for homeless people or cookies for my neighbors, but nothing to write home about. My parents taught my sister’s and I growing up the importance of being kind and compassionate towards everyone, but most importantly those less fortunate than us. And I’ve been a little selfish lately. There’s definitely room for improvement.

One Good Deed A Day

A while ago I got this journal, “One Good Deed A Day” from Share and Do Good and it’s been sitting on my nightstand collecting dust ever since. After my flight I decided to actually put it to good use and I’ve kind of fallen in love with it. This uplifting book is full of simple actions that have the power to spread compassion like wildfire. It encourages people to make meaningful connections with loved ones, spread positivity to strangers, or prioritize their own happiness. These simple tasks may not seem like much, but it’s a great place to start! “One Good Deed A Day” has certainly opened my eyes to tons of ideas and given me motivation to get back on the right track with putting others first.