Don't Underestimate Your Imprint

Yesterday while I was on Facebook, I took some time to reconnect with some friends that I had not spoken to in quite a while. It had nothing to do with what anybody did wrong, but was simply about life getting busier and busier and time just happening to go by. One of my friends I connected with was a former co-worker during my days as a journalist and it was that online conversation that made my day.

I am not a social butterfly in the sense that I am constantly around people and keeping up with everyone. I have my family and probably two to three friends that I keep in touch with on a consistent basis. It has nothing to do with any of my other friends but more to do with how funny I am. Even though I can get up in front of thousands of people and deliver a speech, I actually do not prefer to be within a crowd of a thousand people. I work much better in one-on-one situations or small groups. VERY small groups.

But my buddy who was my co-worker reminisced about the days we worked together and said that we were a "good team." I don't know why, and I am still trying to figure it out even as I type this entry, but this made my day. It made me feel so good that somebody has fond memories of something and I actually had the privilege of being a part of that. It meant so much to me to hear that from him and it made me realize the imprints that we leave in life regardless of whether we are aware of it or not. We are creating memories with people each and every day. The people who come in contact with us are going to remember us even if we think that they won't.

This realization also brings with it a challenge. Is the imprint that we are leaving on others one that allows them to think of us with fondness or one that leads them to think of us with disdain? The choice is ours because we have the ability to decide what type of imprint we leave behind. The imprint that leads to fond memories can impact lives in a significant way. Something for us to think about.

Reflecting in pajamas,

LandoRigs