I still remember something a co-worker told me years ago. It wasn’t a life-changing lecture or an award-winning performance. It was just… a sentence.
“You lead without trying.”
I don’t even remember what I had done that day to earn those words. But I remember how they were said. Quietly. Sincerely. Unscripted. And for whatever reason, they stuck.
Years later, that one sentence has carried me through seasons where I felt invisible, unqualified, or like I was failing. It reminded me that maybe I had something in me someone else could see, even when I couldn’t. It still motivates me to this day, and drives everything I do.
That’s the strange power of a compliment: it might take you 5 seconds to say it… but they might carry it for the next 50 years.
We live in a world of sarcastic banter and ego games, where it seems safer to roast than to praise. Vulnerability isn’t fashionable, and kindness is often mistaken for weakness. But somewhere right now, someone you know is starving for encouragement.
They’re exhausted. Beaten down. Wondering if they’re good enough, attractive enough, capable enough, loved at all. And the crazy part?
They won’t ask you for it.
They’ll suffer in silence. Smile through pain. Put on a strong face. But what if you were the one person in their life willing to see them and say something true?
You don’t have to make it awkward or over the top.
- Tell your coworker they handled a tough situation with class.
- Compliment a stranger’s shirt, their smile, or the way they talk to their kids.
- Tell your friend they make people feel safe just by being who they are.
And if you really want to see something powerful… look someone in the eyes and say:
“I just wanted to tell you, what you do matters. And so do you.”
We’re all carrying things. But some of us are only standing because of a sentence someone spoke over us years ago.
So today, be that person. Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it. Just open your mouth and say what’s true.
They might forget what you wore. What you posted. Even what you did.
But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
Troy P Zehnder 