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My son, Gil, recently competed in the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. It was his first, and while his car didn’t place, his friend came in 2nd!
Gil told his friend that he had the best car and that made his friend feel good. I responded by asking, “You made your friend feel good. How did that make you feel?” He said, “Mom, I filled the bucket.” I said, “You filled the bucket? What does that mean?” He said, “You see, Mom, I have an invisible bucket and when I do something kind, I put it in the bucket. That’s what the book says. People are happy when their buckets are full and sad when their buckets are empty.”
He’d read a book in school that week called, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? It’s such a simple idea. It made me ask myself, “What have I done lately to fill someone else’s bucket? There are so many easy ways to fill someone else’s bucket.
Here are a few examples of bucket fillers,
Tell your spouse or significant other that you love them.
Tell your child that you’re proud of them when they do something good.
Say hello and smile at the cashier at the grocery store.
Write a thank-you note to a colleague, client or friend.
Buy a coffee for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop.
Spend time with a grandparent or elder in your family.
Be a mentor.
Listen when someone is having a tough day.
Stop gossip.
Tell yourself, “I am enough”.
As the book says, if you see someone smile, that’s a pretty good indication that you’ve filled their bucket. Is your bucket empty or full? What will you do to fill someone’s bucket today? Leave me a comment below. If you enjoyed this post, please share it and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Photo by Sean Kowal on Unsplash