Deep down we all have that longing for permanence, we would love to be remembered and to leave a legacy and of course we all would like to be remembered for the good things that we did. Let’s be honest, doesn’t that teenage question come back to haunt you from time to time? Yeah the one that, before reaching twenty, tortured you and created stress, anxiety and even drove you nuts, the question of what is my life about? What is the purpose of being here? What justifies my existence and my daily efforts?
I believe the reason it comes back to haunt you is because may be you have been evading the answer. As we grow we find things that seem to answer the question and we adopt them: “it is about having a family and about providing the best for them”, “it is about creating a successful and rewarding professional career”, “it is about being a mother and making sure that my children grow up to good and successful adults”, “it is about taking care of my parents and ensuring they have a good life for the remainder of their time”, “it is about making this organization grow and becoming a great thing”.
May be it is about being successful and happy, happy and successful; at the end the definition of happiness is as subjective as there are people breathing on earth.
I don’t know if this will help you answer the question but I believe there are 3 easy steps to become unforgettable.
- Understand that you are an entertainer. Do you want to be remembered? Be funny, everybody likes and remembers a person that makes them laugh. It doesn’t mean that you have the best jokes, but it means that you have such a fresh attitude for life and enjoy every moment with a genuine quest for fun, for laughter. Have and make others have an enjoyable moment. It is not a secret that the “entertainers” are the most attractive people possessing an enviable energy that we want to keep close and that we will remember.
- Be a contributor. Do you remember those who have been key contributors to your life? Of course you do, they might have helped with money in tough times, with their time when you needed help, with their knowledge or expertise, with their advise or with their concern and understanding. They imprinted a lasting memory in your mind by contributing to your life, the same way you imprint an undeletable memory when you contribute to somebody’s life. And yes life is a transaction, the more you give, the more you get, but sometimes we are so concerned with our own well being, so fearful to survive or live at the level that we want that we forget this rule. Contributors are not only always remembered; at the end they are the ones that receive more.
- Be sensitive. We like and respect those who care, and we remember when we had problems and a good friend or relative shared our pain, his suffering was expressed in ideas, advice, may be tears, a helping hand trying to relieve the pain we were in. And as we go through our pains and lows in life we will always remember those who lend just sensitive time through holding our hand, giving us a hug or a shoulder to cry for a while.
If you want to be unforgettable for your teacher, for your kids, for your partner, for your company, for that person you are trying to conquer, for your friends; I am sure this 3-step formula will help your cause.
Remember you are an entertainer, laugh and make laugh; you are a contributor give as much as you can; and be sensitive, always have time for compassion, a genuine desire for other’s happiness.
If your daily mantra is: I am going to have a good time for myself and others, I am going to be a top contributor today and I will be compassionate; I believe you might be answering the question what is my life about? What is the purpose of being here? And if not, at least you will have a heck of a good time while you find the answer.
Guillermo Mendoza guillermo@speakerforsuccess.com (832)334-3583
“Transforming organizations by energizing your people and getting results.”
Guillermo’s authentic style and insight engages audiences to make the changes necessary to create transformations in their organizations and lives.
Available for international engagements in: English, Spanish or Portuguese.