Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers) photo and quotation
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
Mister Rogers on caring for others around you
When we lead, we often underestimate the powerful impact we have on those around us. Through our actions, we have a choice: we can be remembered as a loving and caring leader, or we can be remembered as a hateful and bullying boss.
Think about it. Of the thousands of people who you have encountered in your life, who do you most remember? Two categories stand out.
- You remember those you have loved and those who have loved you.
- Perhaps more powerfully, you remember those who have hurt, bullied or deceived you.
You have control over how you want to be remembered. Starting today, consider the choices you make with the people you encounter. You can treat people with respect, show them love and concern, and bring positive energy and joy into their lives. Or you have the choice to be indifferent, rude or hostile.
By the way, we can have the same choice with ourselves. We can treat ourselves respectfully and lovingly, or we can choose to be hateful and spiteful toward ourselves.
Make a positive impact on everyone you meet
So today, consider Mr. Rogers’ advice. Make a positive impact on everyone you meet. Whether it’s your kids this morning over cereal, your partner as you leave the door, the clerk at 7-Eleven as you get your coffee, the driver who is trying to merge, the student in your lab who is struggling with an experiment, or your coworker who is worrying about an ailing parent, choose to be attentive and caring.
Subtle or profound, how you choose to interact with them might make a big difference in their lives, to say nothing about how it will make you feel.
Who knows, someday, someone you hardly remember might come up to you in a grocery store and thank you for the positive impact you made upon them at a crucial point in their lives. You might not even remember who they are or what the interaction was. Wouldn’t that make your day?