To make the Golden Rule part of our daily life, we must try to do three things for others: 1) Trust them. Without trust there can be no real relationship. Henry L. Stimson said, ‘The chief lesson I’ve learned in a long life is that the only way to make a man trustworthy is by trusting him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust.’ It isn’t always easy, especially when it’s someone you don’t know very well. But that’s Christ’s Golden Rule. As you try to invest confidence in others just as you’d like it to be invested in you, remember that the person who trusts others will always lose less than the person who distrusts them. 2) Thank them. Human relations expert Donald Laird said, ‘Always help people increase their self-esteem…There’s hardly a higher compliment you can pay an individual than helping him to be useful and to find satisfaction in his usefulness.’ How do you do that? By letting them know you appreciate their efforts. By making a point of praising them in the presence of those closest to them. As Broadway producer Billy Rose observed: ‘It’s hard for a fellow to keep a chip on his shoulder if you allow him to take a bow.’ 3) Value them. There isn’t a person in the world who doesn’t want to be valued and appreciated. So make a habit of practising the Golden Rule.

What now?
Have a fun awards ceremony with your friends. Write your friends’ names on bits of paper and get everyone to pick one (keep it secret). Then go away and make a certificate for that person, celebrating something they’re good at. Make it really specific (like ‘Award for making the best coconut cake’). Then get together and present the certificates to each other.