Leave footprints worth following.

I want to tell you something I’ve learned from watching kids grow into stronger, kinder people: the smallest steps leave the deepest footprints. What you say, how you treat yourself, and how you treat others can become a path someone else wants to follow. That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It means choosing tiny, brave actions every day so that when things are hard, your footprints help you and the people around you keep going.

When upset or scared, simple words can be like a flashlight on a dark trail. Say them slowly and mean them. Practice these short phrases until they feel natural — they’re ready-made tools you can use when feelings are loud. Here are a few to try out and keep in your pocket:

• I can take one small step. / I’m allowed to feel this. / This will pass. / I can ask for help. / I did my best right now. / I can try again tomorrow. / Breathe. I’ve got this. / I will be kind to myself.

Those phrases are short but powerful because they change what you do next. If you tell yourself “I can take one small step,” you’re not asking to climb a mountain today — you’re choosing the next little thing that moves you forward. If you whisper “I’m allowed to feel this,” you give feelings a name and stop them from bossing you around. Saying “I can ask for help” is not admitting defeat; it’s inviting others onto the path with you.

Leaving footprints isn’t just about words. It’s about actions that show who you want to be. When someone shares a problem and you listen, you leave a caring footprint. When you say sorry and mean it, you leave a brave, honest footprint. When you keep trying after a mistake, you leave a determined footprint. People notice that more than you might think, and sometimes they copy those steps without even meaning to.

If you want your footprints to be worth following, start with tiny, everyday choices. Be curious instead of angry when something goes wrong. Reward effort more than only results. Celebrate a small win — finished homework, a kind comment, a deep breath taken in class — and let that happiness teach you to do it again. Don’t wait to be perfect to lead. Everyone follows someone who keeps going, even when it’s hard.

I’m not telling you to carry the world. I’m asking you to try on one small phrase or one kind action this week. See how it changes how you feel and how others respond. Over time, those tiny steps add up. That’s how real leaders are made: not by showy deeds, but by steady footprints worth following.