What if changing the world begins with one small act of kindness?
Halloween is just around the corner. Soon, we’ll see ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and all sorts of characters wandering our neighborhoods.
But here’s a thought: What if the mask we most need to remove isn’t the one we wear for Halloween?
What if it’s the one that lets us pretend the problems around us belong to someone else?
Someone else will speak up. Someone else will reach out. Someone else will help. Someone else will make things better.
After all, what difference can one person really make?
More than we might imagine.
Courage Doesn’t Always Roar
There’s a song by Sara Bareilles called BRAVE that asks us to consider what might happen when we find the courage to use our voices.
It’s a message that resonates with me because I’ve seen what happens when people discover their stories matter. Sometimes, sharing a story helps someone else feel seen. Sometimes, it opens a conversation that might never have happened. And sometimes, it gives another person the courage to speak up, too.
But being brave doesn’t mean being the loudest person in the room. It doesn’t mean winning every argument, having all the answers, or being fearless.
Sometimes, being brave means choosing kindness when unkindness would be easier.
It means checking on a neighbor who’s been unusually quiet. Encouraging someone who’s struggling to find her voice. Sharing our time, our talents, or our abundance with someone who needs a hand. Listening to a perspective different from our own without immediately preparing a rebuttal.
It might mean standing beside someone who’s being overlooked or unfairly chastised. Speaking up when a conversation turns unkind. Participating in our communities. Making our voices heard, including at the ballot box when it’s time to vote.
None of these actions requires a cape.
And not one requires us to be fearless.
Sometimes, courage is simply deciding
that kindness matters enough to act.
Your Little Part Matters
It’s easy to look at the world’s challenges and feel overwhelmed. The problems seem so big, the disagreements so deep, and the solutions so far away.
But we don’t have to solve every problem to help solve a problem.
We don’t have to reach everyone to make a difference to someone.
And we don’t have to wait until we feel completely ready, perfectly qualified, or absolutely certain before taking a meaningful step.
One encouraging word can restore someone’s confidence. One generous act can ease another person’s burden. One honest conversation can open a door that has been closed for far too long.
One person choosing compassion can influence another person. And that person can influence someone else.
Little by little, our actions ripple outward.
Imagine what might happen if each of us stopped waiting for somebody else to make things better and started with the people, opportunities, and resources already within our reach.
We might discover that the change we’ve been hoping for doesn’t begin somewhere out there.
It begins right here.
With us.
Bring Out Your BRAVE
At Davis Creative Publishing, our message has always been simple:
STAND UP. SPEAK UP. LIFT UP.
It’s more than a slogan. It’s an invitation to recognize that our voices, our stories, and our actions matter.
STANDING UP means recognizing our worth—and the worth of others.
SPEAKING UP means using our voices with courage, honesty, and respect, even when staying silent would be easier.
LIFTING UP means looking beyond ourselves to encourage, support, and empower the people around us.
And all three become more powerful when we bring a HUGE dose of kindness along for the ride.
We don’t have to agree on everything to treat one another with dignity. We don’t have to share the same experiences to listen with an open heart. And we don’t have to wait for someone else to lead before we take responsibility for the difference we can make.
Our BRAVE doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
It might be a difficult conversation. A generous gift. A new volunteer commitment. An apology. A vote. A story shared at just the right moment with someone who needs to know they’re not alone.
Because stories matter, too. They help us see beyond our own experiences, recognize the humanity in others, and discover that even people whose lives look very different from ours may share our hopes, fears, and dreams.
Sometimes, a story gives us the courage to speak. Sometimes, it helps us understand someone else’s silence. And sometimes, it reminds us that we are not alone in the challenges we face.
The world doesn’t need every one of us to do everything.
It needs each of us to do something.
Before You Put on That Halloween Mask…
As October draws to a close, I invite you to consider a different kind of costume this year.
Instead of hiding behind “Someone should do something,” try stepping forward with, “What CAN I do?”
(That’s my nod to my friend and speaker Joe Fingerhut, who reminds us to ask exactly that question!)
- Instead of assuming someone else will reach out, be the one who makes the call.
- Instead of wondering whether your voice matters, use it to encourage someone who needs to hear it.
- Instead of waiting for kindness to show up in the world, bring some with you.
And when the opportunity comes to stand up for what matters, don’t let the size of the problem convince you that your contribution is too small.
Your little part matters.
My little part matters.
Together, our little parts can become something BIG.
We may not be able to change the entire world in a day. But we can change the experience of the person standing right in front of us. We can make our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities a little more welcoming, a little more compassionate, and a little more hopeful.
And perhaps, if enough of us choose to act with courage and kindness, we can help create a world where fewer people feel they must hide behind a mask in the first place—or hide who they are simply to protect themselves.
So, here’s my challenge to you:
STAND UP for someone who needs support.
SPEAK UP when kindness, dignity, or understanding needs a voice.
LIFT UP someone whose light is hard to see right now.
And whatever you do, bring out your BRAVE.
Because caring for one another, strengthening our communities, and protecting the future of our planet aren’t jobs we can leave entirely to somebody else.
They’re things we build together, one choice, one voice, and one act of kindness at a time.
We began this month’s conversation with HOPE. We explored SOLUTIONS. We celebrated COMMUNITY.
Now it’s time to put those ideas into action.
Drop the mask. Bring out your BRAVE. Lead with kindness.
What will your little part be this week?
I’d love to hear about it. Your story might be exactly the encouragement someone else needs to bring out their BRAVE, too.
Because perhaps the most powerful thing a story can do is remind us that we are not powerless—and that we are not alone.
Musical inspiration: “Brave,” performed by Sara Bareilles.
Songwriters: Sara Bareilles and Jack Antonoff.
Lyrics source: LyricFind.
