Little things can make a big difference

Don't be fooled by the term "little." It is this very word that can make a huge difference in someone's day.

Something as little as the sun showing its face all day long, allowing us to absorb beneficial rays and vitamins, or perhaps receiving a friendly smile from a student on campus.

Maybe even something as little as defying all odds and not getting stuck in traffic one day, or my absolute favorite, driving passed the guy on the corner of University as he enthusiastically breaks it down while advertising a restaurant's daily specials on a cardboard sign.

If you haven't seen him you probably think I'm crazy. If you have, then we've shared a moment of laughter at this character's comical form of entertainment.

It may not seem possible, but these little things are capable of having quite an impact on a person's life, that is if you let them.

Are you one of those people who is guilty of blowing off something little when it happens to you? Maybe someone at work or school paid you a compliment and you thought nothing of it, right? Wrong.

You should feel honored that someone chose you to compliment and not the person standing next to you. Let's face it, people give out compliments like they do money these days.

Now that you've been briefed on what the little things in life are and how to react to them, it is time to tell you that it goes both ways.

I know you probably don't want to hear it but it needs to be said. I'm aware that you can't control the weather patterns or dub it free pastry day at Starbucks, but you can make a difference in someone's day by doing something little, of course.

Instead of waiting for someone to crack a smile at you or tell you that your concert shirt is rad, you should take charge every now and then and be the generous one. It does not take much, just the movement of seventeen muscles to be exact, to simply smile at someone. Believe me, it goes a long way.

It's like that commercial, what it's advertising escapes me at the moment, where one person does something nice for another person and then that person commits a courteous act toward another person and the favor continues on for many people to come.

Maybe you don't feel comfortable smiling at a random person, in that case, how about picking up someone's dropped book or pencil as they're on their way to class?

Little gestures that people receive make a big difference in the way they will act toward those who they encounter for the remainder of that day. So if someone seems upset or depressed, then it's likely that they haven't had their dose of something little that day. Maybe you should be the one to change that.

I hope after reading this that some of you will go on with your day and keep in mind some of the little things that I have just mentioned. Maybe some of you will even do some of these little things.

Above all, I want everyone to realize that you don't need something big to happen in your day to feel fulfilled and happy with life. Sometimes, maybe even most of the time, whether you're on the giving or receiving end, it is the little things that make life so much sweeter.