NormsMilfordBlog

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou

Maya’s quote about how you make people feel works two ways – you can make them feel good or an encounter with you can make them feel bad. I would hope that most of us would prefer to make the people that we meet feel better for having met us. Sometimes we do just the opposite by doing nothing at all and not even acknowledging those that we meet. Doesn’t it make you feel bad to be ignored? It causes a little pain if we make eye contact with someone and they look away or choose not to even acknowledge that they see us with a little smile or a nod, perhaps even a quick “hello, how are you”.

Nat King Cole had a wonderful hit “Unforgettable” that his daughter Natalie re-recorded as a duet with her father (on film). You can be unforgettable is a nice way by just making the people that you encounter during the day feel better. It’s not that hard to do; just acknowledge them with a smile and perhaps a quick hello. If you have time, stop and talk to them, ask them how they are and then really listen to their reply. It’s not magic. It’s empathy, concern, love, understanding and compassion all wrapped up in simple gestures that really don’t take that much of your time and it can have a magical effect on the other person.

So, tear your eyes and attention away from your smartphone and look around you for someone else that you can say “Hi” to and you too will become unforgettable. Just remember that when you are not making that effort you may become unforgettable in a bad way and be considered to be aloof and unapproachable, or worse. I certainly don’t want to be unforgettable in that way. Do you?