There’s a difference between being memorable and being needed. Its easy to confuse the two. Some people feel that they are only important in the lives of those around them if they feel needed. They teach their loved ones to be dependant up on them. So if they disappeared, yes, there would be a void and they would be missed. (Until their loved ones found someone else to do those same things for them.) It is different to be missed because you brought something to the world. Not that you pointed out a void you could fill, a problem you could solve or a hunger you could feed. But to be such a bright light that you bring others up - raising their vibration a notch. It’s as simple as making eye contact and smiling at people. Treating others kindly. Practicing random acts of kindness. Being jovial with others and making them laugh. Laughing in turn at their jokes. Feel good from within and others will feel good around you. Not everyone is born glowing. It’s a choice to do all these things, a choice to be a bright light.
But the point is, it’s a matter of free will. There are many different versions of yourself waiting out there as possibilities. Unaware versions, exciting versions, tired versions, enthusiastic versions. It is what we choose to be that we show up as.
We constantly form our personality by choices. Your character is the hero of your story - you are writing both your personality and your story by your design and habits.
I have been meditating on the idea of choosing to be memorable, being bright light. I decided to act upon it and do a little experiment. To be memorable, you can’t just float through on autopilot, going through the motions of life. You do have to be awake, interacting with the world to do so. And it's funny, just carrying the idea with me, greeting everyone who passed my path with a smile and a happy greeting, was recognized. I passed a guest at the hotel on Tuesday and he said, “Do you realize you are always smiling?” The idea in action.
I treated everyone in this manner - not just my close circle, but strangers as well. On the bus, I noticed that the driver called out the names of the stops and then people would pull a cord to signify they’d like him to stop there. A little light kept illuminating saying, “Stop Requested.” In this way, the passengers could remain asleep and not need to interact directly with the driver. I felt bad for the guy up there saying the stops over and over, just talking to himself all day. So when he called out my stop, instead of pulling the cord and letting machinery speak for me, I called back, “Yes, please!” Days of this pattern went by, and at the end of the week, as I got off the bus and wished the driver well, he let me know that he would hear me say “yes please” at my bus stop every hour, even if I wasn’t on the bus. And that it made his heart smile every time he could physically hear me say it. Amazing how two little words like that, interacting instead of being passive, can give someone something to look forward to. The experiment didn’t take long to show that after I made the choice, I became memorable - a bright light.
So after a week, I’ve stuck with it. The sales representative at the beach activity hut I pass several times a day at my hotel has taken to calling me “Smiles.” So here are some tips Smiles has learned about being memorable: It’s a choice. Sure it takes some extra energy on your part, but I’ve found that energy comes right back to you. A gracious person is a bright light. Someone who makes eye contact and smiles but also listens to others - shows them respect and makes time to hear what they have to say. Don’t multi task when others are talking - hold eye contact instead of texting. There will be time to text later. You always have time because you own the time in which you live. Make time for yourself so you can recharge and glow and then make time for others so they leave your company glowing also. As I’ve said before, be a bright light by being jovial with others and making them laugh. Laugh in turn at their jokes. Feel good from within and others will feel good around you. This is where a reputation is born from, and that lingers long after you have left. As Maya Angelou said, "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."
