All of us do things in passing, that may impact other people in profound ways.
You’ve said or did something, without much thought, that may have changed the trajectory of someone’s life.
Likewise, someone likely did something that was deeply meaningful to you, but may have been totally ordinary to them.
Some of the most precious moments in our lives, are when people remind us of the things that we did to make the or their world a better place. We all derive some sense of who we are and validate what we think of ourselves based upon how others relate to us.
So, here’s today’s assignment.
- Pick someone from your life who did or said something meaningful for you.
- Reach out to them and let them know what they did or said and how it was meaningful to you.
- If it feels appropriate, acknowledge something about them, as a person, beyond what the did or said.
It may only take you a few minutes, but it may impact that person for a lifetime.
Never forget, we are capable of doing things to profoundly impact others, and we should take time to recognize those moments in each other.
If you need a template, use this
Hi [name],
I wanted to reach out to say thank you.
[Briefly describe the problem you were experiencing]
[Briefly describe what they did]
[If appropriate, acknowledge something about them to would lead to the action or behavior that impacted you]
[Briefly describe how it changed/impacted you]
Thank you. What you did was deeply meaningful for me.
I hope you’re doing well.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Example
Hi Yvonne,
You may not know this, but you did something really important for me recently. A few weeks ago, when we hopped on a Zoom call, I was in a really terrible headspace. There was so much bad news going on and I was feeling really pessimistic and was having a hard-time moving forward. I was stuck.
YOU got me out of that. In the way that only you can do, you created a space of warmth and understanding, and you gently brought me back into being able to see the goodness out in the world.
I’m grateful for our friendship, and it makes me happy and hopeful to know you are out there affecting people like this all of the time. You are making the world a better place by who you are and how you show up for others.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jeff
