Rex Tillerson, recently the Secretary of State, left that post this week.

In his parting speech, he said this to his team:

“I’d ask that each of you undertake to ensure one act of kindness each day toward another person. This (Washington D.C.) can be a very mean-spirited town. But you don’t have to choose to participate in that. Each of us gets to choose the person we want to be, the way we want to be treated and the way we will treat others.”

You may know that Tillerson left a powerful position at Exxon-Mobil to serve the country. I’m sure his experiences fell short of his hopes. Nevertheless, he still takes the “high road” as he departs.

He is correct. We choose how we conduct ourselves as we interact every day. There is power in choosing. Choosing is the beginning of “happening to the world.”

We happen to the world when we habitually act with kindness to those we encounter.

My experience is those who act with kindness see kindness returned in excess.

I admire Tillerson’s advice. It makes me want to “up” my game.