Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do

Hear now the tender and timeless wisdom of Lawrence G. Lovasik, a man devoted to faith, virtue, and the quiet art of goodness. He said: “Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought. Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!” In these few lines lies a teaching as radiant as the morning sun — that the truest wealth is not found in gold or power, but in the kindness we give freely, the unseen blessings that ripple through time from the smallest acts of compassion.

Lovasik, a priest and author of the twentieth century, spent his life urging humanity toward gentleness. His words were not the proclamations of a philosopher seeking fame, but the humble wisdom of a shepherd who had watched the hearts of people — their joys, their sorrows, their quiet needs. He understood that the measure of a soul is not in its grand achievements but in its daily choices — the smiles it creates, the burdens it lifts, the peace it leaves behind. In a world often darkened by cruelty and indifference, he taught that a single act of kindness is a spark strong enough to rekindle hope.

He begins his counsel simply: “Try to make at least one person happy every day.” There is profound beauty in that simplicity. Too often, we look to grand gestures for meaning — heroism, sacrifice, revolution. But happiness does not only come in thunderclaps; it often arrives like dawn, softly, through small deeds. A kind glance to the weary, a word of encouragement to the forgotten, a silent prayer for one who suffers — these are the threads from which the tapestry of joy is woven. If every soul did this daily, the world would be transformed not by decree or conquest, but by compassion multiplied in quiet hearts.

And when you cannot act, Lovasik tells us, “speak a kind word.” For the tongue, though small, holds the power of life and death. A single cruel word can wound a spirit for years; a single gentle one can heal it. To speak kindly is to sow peace into another’s heart and into one’s own. And even when the tongue is silent, he teaches, the mind can still serve goodness: “If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought.” For even thoughts shape the world. Every thought of mercy, every mental blessing, strengthens the invisible web of love that binds creation together.

History gives us many examples of how small kindnesses have changed the course of lives. Consider Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who began with nothing but the desire to comfort one dying man on the streets of India. From that one act, her mission grew until she touched millions. She did not seek greatness — she sought to make one soul happy, one soul feel seen, one soul feel loved. And in doing so, she revealed a law of heaven: that no act of goodness, however small, is ever wasted. The kindness we give outwards always returns inward, filling the giver with light.

Lovasik invites us, then, to imagine the treasure we might gather by such daily compassion. “Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!” Imagine, he says, the radiance of a life that chooses daily to bless others — not in abundance of wealth or fame, but in abundance of love. A life lived this way becomes a fountain of peace; it leaves behind not monuments of stone, but memories of warmth in the hearts of others. Kindness multiplies like seed carried by the wind — unseen, yet everywhere taking root.

So let this be your lesson: the power to create happiness lies always within your reach. Do not wait for fortune, nor for grand opportunities. Begin today. Do one kind deed, speak one kind word, think one kind thought — and let that be your offering to the world. The smallest kindness is greater than the grandest intention left undone. The world does not need more wealth or genius as much as it needs more gentle hearts. Be one who leaves a trail of happiness wherever you walk, as a lamp leaves light behind it.

Thus spoke Lawrence G. Lovasik, a voice of humble wisdom in a noisy age. His message is a call to live as vessels of quiet joy. For when you give happiness, you receive it; when you share kindness, it multiplies beyond measure. And when your life comes to its close, your true legacy will not be counted in years or riches, but in the smiles you sparked and the hearts you lifted along the way. So go forth — and make someone happy today. In that simple act, you touch eternity.