This week we heard of another passing of a music icon; Prince. The passing of someone like Prince, and David Bowie earlier this year, is that they had a global impact; music transcends language, culture, and all the barriers that exist in the world. Along with their passing came the usual accolades, feelings, and sentiments that all too often are not said when the person is alive but rather when they are gone.
It could be that as I am getting older combined with the realization that I have more years behind me than in front of me I am becoming more sensitive to the preciousness of time and of people in my life. In March of this year, I made a milestone birthday and at my party I had the great opportunity to listen to wonderful speeches by my wife, son, and daughter. For me that was the best part. I actually told my wife later that week that the speeches for me were akin to listening to my eulogy. I know it sounds morbid. But my wife told me that's exactly how she felt when she was preparing the speech. The great part of course I was alive to hear the words and show my gratitude to each.
But take a moment to ponder this...how often do we take the time to thank the people in our life for their guidance, their mentorship, their friendship.
This week I've done a lot of thinking about all the people that have had an impact on my life and wondered if they know how much they mean to me. It could have been one small act or thing they said, or one insignificant moment we shared that really stuck with me. It's also not just the good moments but the bad that I am equally grateful, for out of those hard moments or words I have grown into the person I am today.
In my role and my everyday life, I try to live by the quote of the great Maya Angelou;
"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."
I hope I have (and think I have so far) created a legacy where the people I have supported throughout my career remember me for how I've made them feel, for my words of wisdom, my guidance, my 'telling it like it is' which is what they may not have wanted to hear at that moment but where it helped them in the long run.
So the challenge I put to myself and to each of you is this; reach out to those people in your life that have or are important in your life and thank them while they can still hear those words. You will find that show of gratitude will not only be impactful for them but for you as well.