Good Job! Good Job!

“G, double O, D, J-O-B. Good job, good job!”

Anyone who has heard me speak has heard this simple cheer. I use it to give a quick “thank you” to event organizers, to uplift students who may be secretly doubting their abilities, or even to bring a smile to the face of a passerby in a restaurant or store.

The cheer is one that stays with people not just for a day or week, but often for years. I know this because at least once every few days, when I am at an event or just spending time with family and friends, someone will walk up and smile, greeting me with a boisterous, “G, double O, D, J-O-B. Good job, good job!”

Why does such a simple phrase pack so much power – not just in the moment, but often years later? I think it speaks to the basic need that people have to be affirmed and encouraged by others.

So often, forces are at play trying to tear us and the young people in our lives down. We hear damaging, destructive words from our colleagues and classmates, people who are supposed to be our friends, and even, in some cases, from family members.

And at the same time, the media is sending us subtle and not-so-subtle messages that we can never measure up because we are not thin enough, curvy enough, tall enough, fast enough, strong enough or smart enough.

All these messages, combined, assault our confidence and self-worth and leave us drifting through life, too beaten down to move forward.

So when I come in with an uplifting word – and a smile, a pat on the back or other body language that shows I really mean what I am saying – it allows me to open the door to transforming the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.

That effort to transform lives – to motivate, inspire and empower others – is at the heart of all that I do. And it’s why the work that I do, as I travel throughout the U.S. and around the world, matters.

Who will you lift up today? How will you use your words to bring good to the people in your path? Live today so that when it is over you can look yourself in the mirror and say, “G, double O, D, J-O-B. Good job, good job!”