Words you say carelessly can live in someone’s head for decades. So can words of encouragement. Choose which ones you leave.

Offhand remarks have a long shelf life in other people. A throwaway line about somebody’s body, effort or intelligence can get replayed for twenty years by somebody you barely remember, and the same storage works for praise. You will not get to pick which of your sentences sticks. You only get to pick which kind you make more of.

Say one specific encouraging thing this week to somebody who would not expect it from you: a teammate, a younger sibling, the quiet person at work. Be exact rather than nice, because exact is what gets believed. And when you are tired and about to be sharp, take the extra second.