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Make a difference…A reflection.

She’s been on my mind for years. I vowed one day I would find her. I just didn’t know how.

Light bulb with filament forming a heart icon on purple backgroundAnd then it happened. I saw her name. It didn’t seem possible. Could she really be attending the same event? I needed to know and reached out to the table captain. Turned out it was her daughter.  But fate clearly intervened and after hearing my story, her daughter reconnected us.

As I drove to the coffee shop, I was excited to see her. It was more than 25 years since we last spoke. And like it was yesterday, I could still hear her lessons play in my head. Except now – I understood her wisdom. And I wondered how to share just how important her perspective had been to my journey

1)  You need to learn your boundaries and live them every day. Others will respect what you defend.

2) Work will never tell you to go home, nor will it visit you when you are sick. Take care of what is important and really matters in life. And remember, what matters cannot be bought, it is earned and can only be lost by what you do or don’t do. Leave nothing to chance.

3) Your performance is so far above what others do. Be proud and celebrate what you contribute. However, it is important to understand you will set the standard that others will judge your contribution. And it will create a double standard. One for you and one for others. Learn to calibrate how this is done.

And she warned me of the consequences. It would catch up with me in my forties!!! Is it any surprise that for this 22 year-old, my forties seemed really far off? And of course, I thought things would change in my day. Or NOT!

Her wisdom was timeless.

Her style and sense of being her best was timeless too. It was clear from her first step just as it had been when we first met.

And our time together was magical. We picked up from when we last met and in just an hour, were reconnected. As I revisited the lessons, I could see her listen with a keen focus. It was clear to me, she understood her perspective but had not fully contemplated the impact of her advice on the lives of others.

And isn’t that lesson important for all of us? What is the lesson about how we live our lives that will help others gain a new perspective and ultimately become the difference maker that endures time?

 

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