Last Friday I met up with some girlfriends at an outdoor beer garden after work. Upon my arrival, I felt quite thirsty (for water that is) and headed over to the water station to fill a glass for myself. Upon noticing from a distance that one of my friends already at the table didn’t yet have a water, I filled a glass for her as well. As I arrived at the table, I placed the glass in front of her and said, “Here, I got you a water.”
“Hey thanks!” she said. Then she paused thoughtfully. “You get a gold star for that.”
Before I realized what was happening, she reached into her purse, pulled out a sheet of gold star stickers (yes, exactly like the ones you remember from kindergarten), peeled one off, and stuck it on my sweater.
Remember that feeling as a child when you were rewarded with a gold star? Maybe you’d had a great idea, maybe you’d done well on an assignment, or maybe you were just well-behaved … but when you got that gold star, how did you feel?
If you were anything like me, you may have felt special, seen, recognized, and appreciated. All the good feels.
And this past Friday night at the age of 39 sitting in a beer garden with some pals? I felt exactly the same way.
I asked my gold-star-giving friend how she’d thought of this idea and informed her that with her permission I would absolutely 100% be writing a blog post about her the following week (luckily she agreed).
She told me she’d seen the sheet of gold star stickers at the store one day and the idea just popped into her head. Like magic!
And the best part? There were no rules. No maximum number of gold stars you could give or receive each day. No parameters by which you could or couldn’t get one. Her one and only premise was that when she recognized herself or someone around her doing something notably kind or awesome, out came the gold stars.
So, are you ready to join the Gold Star Revolution? We sure hope so.
It’s easy. Simply get yourself some gold star stickers like these (or really any other color/shape you prefer) and put them in your purse/bag/backpack/etc. When you observe someone doing something awesome (and yes – this is important – including you!) get those stars out.
And perhaps most especially, when you give one to someone else, watch and savor with delight as a smile spreads across their face and they remember a wonderful feeling from long, long ago.
It’s a true gift for all involved. So, are you with us?
PS: Thanks to Emily, the gold star queen! When she’s not giving out gold stars, Emily keeps busy being a mastermind of Email Marketing. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
