Be a filler....not a dumper!

   "Leave the world a better place." I love the simplicity in this statement. It requires no special skill set and no specific income or education level. All it requires is you.
   I wholeheartedly believe the best way to leave the world a better place is to be a bucket filler, not a bucket dumper. In my mind, a bucket filler is the one who chooses to see the good, instead of always seeing the bad. Someone who encourages others instead of constantly finding fault and someone who makes others feel good about themselves.
   A dumper is quite the opposite. A bucket dumper is someone who spews negativity, spite, jealously and hatred. Someone who is so unhappy in their own lives, they are only happy if they are making others unhappy. Someone who zaps you of every single bit of energy you have. Someone who makes you turn the opposite direction in the store when you see them. You avoid bucket dumpers at all costs. It's not bucket dumpers are bad people, they've just fallen into a rut and need helping getting out of it! We don't always know the battle others are going through in their lives and can always find a way to be a blessing to them.
   Don't get me wrong, I have had times in my life when I was a dumper. Life can be difficult at times and in certain circumstances, it's hard to be positive or see the good. However, I found taking that negative energy and turning it into positive did quite a bit to improve my attitude about my circumstance. It took a good friend bringing my "dumping" to my attention before I stopped to think how I was not leaving the world a better place. I did not want to be known as the dumper everyone avoids!
   One of the greatest pleasures in being a filler is seeing what it does for others. Just think of the chain reaction you will have by filling someone's day with positive and encouraging remarks. In turn, they will do the same for others and before you know it, there is a lot of filling going on and not so much dumping!
   Yesterday, I used the opportunity to fill someone's day by sending them a message on how much I appreciate what they have done to help one of my children. I didn't just give them a blanket message, I was very detailed in what they did, how it impacted my child and how much I truly appreciated them. I could tell by their response it made their day. It made me feel pretty good as well.
   We have a finite time on this earth and each and every single moment we have is a gift. We have the opportunity to leave the world a better place many times throughout the day. At the end of our lives, wouldn't it be great to realize we filled a lot of buckets?