People Will Never Forget...

"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, poet, educator, historian and activist

I've come across this quote a lot in this past year.  I am convinced of the power that words and actions can have on people.  I don't want to be someone who makes people feel badly for some reason or another.  I don't think that's my purpose in life.

Over the years, I'm sorry to admit that I haven't always been considerate of other people's feelings.  I've allowed my anger to get in the way and I've said and done things to hurt those closest to me.  I realize that this is part of being human - we all can react out of anger or fear from time to time.  However, I've worked to shift my focus on how to bring something positive to every encounter I have throughout a day instead of waiting to react out of fear and other negative emotions.  I'm convinced that my purpose in life is to be of maximum service to God and the best way to do that is to be encouraging and uplifting to everyone I meet.

I've been accused of being "too positive" at times.  Some of my co-workers tease me but they are just kidding around.  I can tell that they appreciate the encouragement and they tend to encourage each other in return.  It's fun to watch the dynamics shift to the good.  I hope to always remember these wise words from Ms. Angelou.