What a great song. Wouldn’t it be nice if the world truly did have joy? 

Especially during this season, we often think about those we love, those we’ve lost and, yes, unfortunately, those we’ve hurt or those who have hurt us. Christmas and the holidays seem to amplify our memories and emotions. 

An unfortunate event at any time of the year can feel tenfold with the holidays. Maybe it’s because we have these expectations of how we believe Christmas should be, and when the season doesn’t meet our expected results, we lose our joy, so to speak. 

The last two years have been very tough on everyone, and some more than others. You can see the tension and the loss of joy in people's faces at the grocery store, at a stoplight, at work or even in our own families. Stress primarily centered around uncertainty; the unknown. Or, around the real and tangible — like rising prices everywhere.

So what can entrepreneurs and business executives do to help? Here are a few thoughts: 

 • Tell your coworkers and employees how important they are on a regular basis.
 • Make sure your customers know how thankful you are for their business.
 • Be kind to your vendors and assume they are looking out for your best interest.
 • Use every encounter to bring joy to someone else by choosing a kind word, offering a smile or a hand when needed.
 • Don’t take tomorrow for granted. If anything else, the last two years have made it very clear how fragile life really is.
 • Ask your coworkers, employees, customers and vendors for ideas about how your business can be better - for them.

 At the end of the day, we each can bring a little bit of joy to the world — each and every day. Let’s not wait, nor procrastinate. Pick up the phone and make the call to that family member that needs to hear from you. 

Ask that customer to lunch, not just to thank them for their business, but to see how you can help them with theirs. Give that great employee their long overdue review and raise! 

In closing, I would like to share one of my family’s Christmas traditions. We love to watch the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” every Christmas Eve. The story is familiar to many, and I won’t get into what some might call “sentimental hogwash,” as old man Potter would coin in the movie. But let me tell you, and listen well. No amount of money will replace a family that loves you, or a friend that would go out on a limb for you. That’s the message of the movie. No man is a failure who has friends. Cherish them. 

Be a friend. Bring joy to someone’s life today. You can do it. It’s a decision. 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! God bless you and yours. 

Marty Cayton, 

Publisher of Greater Fayetteville Business Journal