“I read about David’s program and decided to join, and of course the very next day I’m walking into a store and there’s this homeless woman who looks inebriated and she says, “sure can you please buy me a sandwich or something I’m absolutely starving!“ Normally, I would’ve made a rude comment and I’m embarrassed to say that, but it’s the truth, this time I reached out my hand and I looked at her as if she was my mother… “Absolutely can you wait here five minutes? I’ll go into the store and get you a sandwich and come right back.“ I did, she was still there, and we hugged. I think I got the most out of this interaction.”

- Jeffrey. 

“I have found David‘s work since 1990 when I listened to him on Westwood one radio for probably over 10 years. He was doing this kind of work back then! I’m in sales, a very successful woman, with an issue with road rage that I came to David to work with. With about eight weeks everything changed. now on a daily basis, I probably 6 to 8 cars minimal in front of me every day, I’m always on the lookout for someone who’s trying to get ahead. I don’t care if they’re speeding, or someone coming from a side street. I just slow down and wave them ahead. You would not believe how many honks and waves and people rolling down their window saying oh my Lord ma’am thank you so very much! I’m so happy David is doing this and I’m really proud to be a part of it."

- Patricia

“At first, it looked like this movement was just a bunch of people talking about wanting to do something, but never doing anything. After just reading five or six little stories on his homepage, it completely changed my mind. Yes I wrote the little note. “look to lift others“ in my car and it really helps! I’m usually in such a rush, an entrepreneur, I don’t look around to see if anyone needs help… Until now." 

"Yesterday  at the gas pump there was a woman fumbling with getting it into her fuel tank. I was curious as to why it was such a struggle for her, but after watching her for five minutes, I had to walk over. Oh, my Lord! Her hands were shaking so violently, she told me she had Parkinson’s disease, that she couldn’t even gas up her car. if it wasn’t for that little note on my dashboard that encourages all of us, I may not have looked around, and then seen someone who really needed my help. She was so gracious she even offered to pay my gas! Which I denied of course, but I’m so happy to start looking for the positive in life versus watching the news."

- Danielle 

"Over the years I have seen people get out of their cars stop traffic to pick up some type of an animal usually like a turtle and bring them to the side of the road. I’ve always been afraid of animals, 46-year-old woman that’s never picked up anything other than a puppy, and after joining David’s movement, I was putting in a position that I never thought I would do what I did.

As I’m driving down the road, I see cars swerving right and left around something in the middle of the road and I noticed it’s a turtle! I immediately put on my flashers, park my car in the middle of the road to block all traffic something I never thought I would do in my entire life! I got out to pick up the turtle, but it was so heavy, that a gentleman behind me got out and said “ma’am. I am so proud of you, let me help you what you just did woke my eyes up. Let’s get this little guy over to the side where he safe. Thank you David. You’ve changed my life, but obviously by the above you’re changing others too.“

- T. S.

“I’ve always been very harsh with people standing out of convenience stores that are drug addicts. I’ll walk by purposely look straight ahead never give them my attention because I know they want my money and I know they’re gonna go get high with it.  After reading different stories from David’s new movement, I started to question how self-centered I was, and here I claim to be this religious spiritual person and I’m ignoring people on the planet that probably need my help. So now I go to the same stores, I see the same Addict, and instead of having an attitude, I just buy them a bottle of water. I don’t even tell them I’m going to do it. I buy them a bottle of water. I come out in to them and tell them to have a beautiful day. 99% of them are shocked! Because I dress in very expensive clothes, and I am so happy to see this change in me and my husband is absolutely shocked. David, you’ve started a movement, that is going to change this world.“

- Caroline

“I think I have the story of all time here! I met David 25 years ago and haven’t seen him since, and as I’m walking into a store the other day I see this guy on his hands and knees, talking to what it looked like was a homeless person struggling to eat a sandwich. I got a little closer and I said “oh my God that is actually David Essel!“ Here I am, about to walk by this poor guy on the ground, and the individual that started this movement is on the ground with him talking to him, comforting him, and even telling him he’s gonna pray for him. I immediately went into the store, I bought things that I thought a homeless person might want, I came out hopefully to see David still there, but he was gone. But the homeless man looked up to me and thanked me over and over and over again because he had not been able to eat or drink for a number of days he was sick as could be, and I felt at least I was part of the solution, not part of the program that we have been taught to avoid these type of people. God we have someone standing up and doing something to help individuals that need our help. Praise him for starting this movement.”

- Mary Lou

"I joined David's movement of compassion because I am so tired of the arguing, the news that wants to divide us and more! There is 1 person I work with who I have judged harshly for her attire, her lack of concern with her health and more! But who am I to judge, as David says so clearly in this program. So, last week I asked her to lunch Mon and Tue, and we had a blast!!!! We had so much in  common, crazy!!! She was so grateful, and I dropped my judgement. Let's all join him, the world needs to change."

- D.S.

“After reading about David’s movement, I decided to get involved in a very small level, especially so my children could see the difference between the way most people act today and the way we should be acting with more love and compassion. So we stopped at a red light, all three children in the back of the car, and there was a homeless man that was walking up and down while we waited to make a left-hand turn asking for money. As I roll down the window. My kids in the back were saying “mom mom he’s a homeless man don’t open the window”, that’s the mentality we’ve taught our children and adults in this country. So he walked over I asked him his first name as David has told us all to do, he said it was John, I introduced myself and said John here’s two dollars. I hope it’ll get you something cold to drink on this hot day. He looked at me with the biggest smile on his face, two front teeth, missing, And said ma’am, you’ve made my day thank you so much! My children were blown away… But when we got home, they thanked me for being so kind to the homeless man, and I hope this sticks with them forever.

This movement that David created is what this world needs. Please join us. As we spread good news and look to lift others.“

- Marianne

“I came across David’s program about looking to help others by accident. But as I read some of these stories, I started looking at his movement at a different angle. I realize that I’ve been a pretty nasty wife for the last 10 years, promising my husband I’ll take care of certain things around the house or promising that I’ll take care of certain bills and then I never do… It’s called resentment that I have not taken care of.

So as I’m reading these stories about people running into other individuals and helping them I started thinking “I need to do this in my marriage and then I can start doing it outside to the world, but I am not treating my husband well at all.“ So I began. Little things. The first night he came home from work , he usually makes dinner, I had dinner already made, and it literally blew his mind.

The next morning I brought him coffee in bed, and he looked at me and started laughing, “is this poisoned?“ Which we both ended up laughing so hard about because that’s the way I’ve been treating him so I wasn’t surprised. He said it.

And then the final thing of the many things I’m doing on a daily basis. I’m only focusing on one, with my husband. I’m focusing on one trait one opportunity to serve him that I normally don’t and so the last thing I did was he was watching TV and I actually shined his shoes for work the next day which I have never done as long as we’re together . It has had the greatest impact on our marriage. It has had the greatest impact on my attitude because I realize that I have not been acting appropriately at all.

David, thank you for starting a movement that can actually not only help other people that we might run into but it could actually help our significant other relationship as well as family relationships. I feel really blessed to have found this.“

- No name 

“Hi this is David the founder of this program and I just have to share a story and I’ll be sharing my own personal stories from time to time because I’ve been a part of this program way before I even started the movement. And I love to read your stories! 

The other day while driving home from work, I saw this extremely long 5 foot black snake in the middle of the road swaying back-and-forth and as I got closer, I saw that she was run over the back 1/3 of her body had been run over and you could see some of her intestines.

I immediately got out of the car, stop traffic, and as this extremely long snake was going back-and-forth with his head, stuck to this heated roadway, I ended up and reached towards its head, knowing that it’s not going to hurt, even if it bites me, and it stayed still! It stopped waving back-and-forth and just sat there!

With my hand just underneath it’s head very softly holding it. I picked up the belly, which is probably about 3 feet of his 5 foot foot in length and he was so or she was so calm oh my God it brought great joy to my heart! So I put this beautiful snake on the side of the bushes so they could have some hiding to heal and I pray that it does heal. This is something that I’ve been doing since a kid. It’s something my mom encouraged my brother and sister and I to always do, to look out for nature. Remember when we’re helping others even animals, we are benefiting greatly!"

- David Essel

“I have been following David Essel for probably the past 35 years, whether he’s on radio or television or writing books. I find him to be very inspiring, and so when I found out that he was creating a movement to help us all look to help others or as he says, look to lift others I was curious.

But I didn’t think I’d be reading stories the ones that I’ve been reading here that are so inspirational! It’s really made me sit and think, how often do I ever look to lift others? If I’m gonna be honest with myself, it’s pretty much never!

I think most of us live in a bubble, we were only concerned about what we need to get from the store… Or what we need to get from this restaurant… We’re not really consciously living in the moment as David is encouraging us to do with his new movement.

 i’ve always disliked drivers, in their car driving under the speed limit. It just drives me completely insane! I don’t think I have road rage, but I have something very close to it because I’m always talking to myself about what an idiot this person is and why the heck are they on the road they shouldn’t be on the road and I go on and on and on in my head .

I started doing something different, when I get behind someone who is going slow I just take a big breath put the music on and wait for a safe place to pass them instead of doing what I used to do in the past is, I’d get right up on their bumper, honk my horns flash, my lights trying to get them to move faster! I was not being a very kind human being .

One shift and the way I drive has not only had an effect on drivers in front of me because I’m not screaming yelling and honking, but I’ve actually learned how to do something that he teaches called emotional regulation, and emotional regulation says that we’re in control of our emotional responses and I am so much more in peace now when I’m driving anywhere! Oh my Lord, my attitude changed so directly and so deeply that I’m in traffic and we’re going slow and I’m absolutely fine with it.

And then the last thing I’ll share, which I’ve never done before reading about this movement, is I let people in front of me all the time all day long I don’t care. I slow down wave them in front of me and I always get a wave back and if I don’t, that’s OK because I know I’m doing the right thing.

Thank you so much for this movement. Let’s get as many people involved so we can really change the attitude in our country.”

- Michael 

"OK it’s David again, I have so many of my different stories. This one’s going to be about racial equality.

In 1966 I was 10 years old and we were in the middle of the civil rights movement which of course at that time I had no idea what was going on, but our country was in flames without a doubt.

My mom and dad, who had hearts as big as gold, decided that they wanted to bring a young black child from Harlem to Syracuse, New York to spend the summer with us because my mom wanted this child to have opportunities that would never be available in the slums of Harlem, and she found an organization to help her out and before we knew it, we had 10-year-old Micheal standing in our kitchen Right from Harlem!

As you can imagine, he felt very uncomfortable. He was actually afraid to be in an all white household, which I could understand but immediately I was drawn to him. What a great kid after about seven days oh my gosh, he calmed down and we had a blast.

Until the neighbors started to harass my mother, remember it’s 1966, and having a black child in an all white lower to middle class neighborhood in Syracuse, New York was not gonna cut it with many of the neighbors.

As children, my brother and sister and I really didn’t know what was going on other than mom was stressed to the max and we couldn’t understand why.

And then my grandfather got involved, he drove an hour and a half and he’s told my mom and dad that there’s no way in the world he’s gonna let this neighborhood upset them and upset this young child so he took us to This camp, he had built on the beach and he said this is where you’re going to stay for the summer I want you and Micheal and everyone in the family to have a great time, Lake people are extremely accepting of everyone and this is a place that you can be and not worry about being harassed and the prejudice that’s all around us.

And it was pure joy! Seeing Micheal jumping in the water, he had never been in sand before oh my gosh, we had so much fun taking him fishing and the greatest lesson in the world that I learned was that there’s no separation in color. People are just people.

From that day forward, I have encouraged so many people to drop their prejudice ways. If they ask me for my advice I just don’t give my advice, but I have to bless my mom and dad for such a great upbringing where I’ve never had any prejudice towards anyone’s color or gender, or whatever it might be… All I keep doing is look to lift others as my mom and dad did so beautifully being incredible role models when I was a child. Let’s all do the same “

- David Essel

"I recently left a relationship with just my clothes. I had to rent a cargo van to leave. I arrived in a different state and needed to buy a car. I pulled up in the dealership parking lot in a rented cargo van and went inside. A young woman came towards me who happened to be a salesperson. I explained my situation to her. She had so much kindness in her. She told me she had been in a similar situation before and showed me around the lot. When she showed me the second car we looked at it was beautiful. She looked at it, looked at the information sheet and looked again. It had packages and upgrades that were not listed in the price. We took it for a drive and I loved the car. She looked at me with kindness in her eyes and said, “I’ve been where you are. This car is reliable and it’s nice. I could make more money if I go update the information but I’m not going to. Women that have been through what we’ve been through need to look out for each other.” and she hugged me. Needless to say I bought the car. We have remained friends. Kindness matters. Every time I get in my car I know I am supported and I am strong."

- Robin Andresen

"As a result of David's movement I find myself daily looking for ways to lift others. I recently moved into a new apartment. I have noticed that an elderly woman that lives a few apartments down lives alone but tends to her plants outside daily. I decided that I would randomly buy a plant when grocery shopping and leave it amongst her plants outside as they seem to bring her so much joy. So far, I have left four new plants near her front porch. Each time I do this the next day I see the little plants in a new post and position. The other day as I walked by and greeted her and complimented her plants she said, "Good morning! You aren't going to believe this! God is bringing me new plants to take care of. I lost my husband last month and he was a gardener. I know he is watching over me and still with me as God is blessing me with new plants!" I smiled and told her how beautiful that is and wished her a great day then got to my car and cried. What a beautiful thing that she feels closer to God and her late husband as a result of this movement!!!!"

- Robin Andresen

"As a part of David's movement, "Look to Lift Others" I keep my eyes open for ways to lift others everyday. When I saw a young woman on a local fb group who was posting about how she felt unattractive and down about herself I commented on her post pointing out her beautiful qualities. Then I told her if she would like to message me I would be willing to workout with her at our local gym (she had posted that she wants to workout but has no idea wha tto to at the gym). We met up yesterday and I had a blast showing this beautiful young woman how to use the equipment, warm up,, etc.. She was smiling and laughing and we had an amazing time. We will be meeting again today. She told me yesterday she already feels more confident as a result of not being alone at the gym and knowing what to do! :)"
- Robin Andresen

“I watched David’s podcast today after reading his new movement, look to lift others, and the podcast was David talking about how sad it is that the WNBA has turned into such a cluster of mind games and inappropriate play. And as David said in the podcast, the WNBA is simply a reflection of our society, we have lost the interest in being compassionate, kind and caring about each other, which is really true. And then I started looking at my own life and I started thinking who is it that I can lift? And then I realized something… I have never ever in my life felt this way! Until I read about his program, I never really thought it was up to me, to make it difference in other peoples lives, I know that must sound pretty silly, but sometimes it takes just one person to open your eyes like David has open mine and now I’m looking every day for people who need a smile or a laugh or something like that. There’s a new girl in our company that brings her lunch from home, no one else in the company does that, and instead of going out to lunch with other people, she sits in her cubicle and eats. Well, I surprised her today. I decided to bring my lunch, and I looked at her and said, “ do you mind if I sit and eat with you? I really don’t like eating alone.

I didn’t even know those words were gonna come out of my mouth, but I said I felt so good, I didn’t mention anything about her sitting alone that I just said, I didn’t want to sit alone. And she lit up like a firecracker! she looked at me and said please sit down. And we had a beautiful conversation. I hope others start to do this as well and I look forward to seeing her again in her cubicle for lunch.”

- Marianne. 

“We have always purchased pedigree dogs, over the past 20 years. We probably had three we’ve never thought about going to a dog pound or rescuing a dog or anything like that at all… Until we read about David’s program look to lift others. I was telling my husband about the program and our 13-year-old daughter happened to be listening and she said “mom there’s something we can do really easily to help others and that would be to adopt a dog from a shelter instead of buying them because they’re so expensive.  I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my 13 year old. She was wiser than I am. So now we are in the process of looking through the shelter dogs to see which one we’re gonna bring home for the first time, not a pedigree dog, but a dog that needs to be lifted up a dog that needs to be loved. I think that’s what this program that David created is all about. being more loving. And we all benefit from this."

- No name. 

“As they say, timing is everything, and I believe that David’s program look to lift others has been put out at the perfect time. And as usual, I have followed David for over 10 years, he’s not charging a penny for people to get involved and being taught and learning how to lift others! I have never met him, but he seems to have a heart that is as big as the moon. So I’m reading about his program and of course, the first thing I’m thinking is who the heck can I help, I couldn’t think of anyone! And then I was online, and I saw a comment about someone that was collecting clothing for a family that had lost all of their possessions in the last year. Bingo! I found a way to help others… We have so many clothes that we don’t wear because they don’t fit or we just don’t like them so I went into all of our closets and started gathering all of these different clothes and brought them over and handed them to the woman who is collecting for this family and she was absolutely blown away because a lot of the clothes I brought were designer clothes lol , they look beautiful, gorgeous. We keep them all in great shape, but the woman looked at me and said “are you sure you wanna give these expensive clothes away? I didn’t hesitate for a second. I smiled and just told her that these are needed by this family much more than our family and we are so glad to be part of the solution. Anyone can do this. We think that’s what’s so special about this program as it doesn’t cost a penny and anyone can do it at any time when they want to get involved and lift other people because my Lord the world needs it right now!”

- Kathy Lou