I was recently reading a fantastic autobiography by legendary basketball coach George Raveling, and in it he said that the majority of young people he works with did not have a single person give them an affirming word most days. I found this idea heartbreaking. Imagine no one saying anything positive to you for days on end. Hoping to find that most people don’t really have this experience, I started researching how often most people hear kind words.
Unfortunately, all I found were polls that said 30% of people feel “invisible” or “flat-out ignored,” 65% feel perpetually underappreciated, and 80% of people feel lonely. According to the latest Gallup survey, just 39% of people said someone at work cared about them as a person. I find this heartbreaking.
I can’t help but think of all the people working hard in our clinics and feeling invisible. I imagine the lonely pet owners coming through our exam rooms, and I reflect on what it’s like to feel that no one cares.
In the sad statistics, I also see opportunity. So many of us are desperately seeking a way to make a positive impact in the world at a time when the future feels uncertain. We are surrounded by people experiencing hardship and feel powerless to do anything, but here is something we can do.
It costs us nothing to show kindness and appreciation to the people around us. Everyone I know in veterinary medicine is effusive with their love and compassion for pets. How about we shift just a small amount of focus to each other? Why don’t we take a small piece of the love in our hearts and point it at our co-workers? We can show that we care about the humans we spend time with.
“Hey, you’re really good at your job. I like working with you.”
“Thank you for helping me. You’re a really gifted technician.”
“I have enjoyed working with you on Buster’s case. You’re a great teacher and it’s obvious how much you care.”
That’s all it takes.
Just a few words can have a powerful impact on someone who hasn’t had any encouragement. I don’t think we realize how much people need to know that they are seen and that they matter. It doesn’t take much to show them.
Imagine the difference we could make if every day, we made a point to give just one genuine compliment. All we have to do is remember how few people hear affirming words during their day, and do something about that. Let’s start today.
