I know, 80 degrees, late-April is SO not that season, right? Wrong…I’m learning that every day of every season truly needs to be that time of acknowledgment. I’m reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews and while I’m only on chapter 4, some of what I’m reading is telling me not only to stop and smell the roses, but to let the roses know how much I appreciate them. Man, do I have things in my life that I need to appreciate. There are people in my past that have no idea how much they affected who I am today…because I never told them. I’m not making that mistake again.
I’m all over social media these days and having fun with it. Anyone who says they don’t have time for it or just thinks it’s silly has never really taken a stab at it…because it’s new, it’s change, it’s unknown territory…I say get over it and dive in! I’ve rekindled relationships and been given the opportunity to find old friends, share memories and let people who never knew how I felt that they mattered.
Ironically, I received a DM (direct message) on Twitter today from Andy’s manager Robert that said: “Noticer Project is a global movement 2 ‘Notice’ the 5 most influential people in your life!” You have to check it out: http://www.thenoticerproject.com/.
Serendipitously, my Facebook “status” reads: “Chrysty Beverley Fortner encourages everyone to pay something forward today: a nice gesture, an overdue phone call, or old-fashioned thank you card dropped in the mail to someone who changed your life. Don’t wait.” Either I’ve got ESP or the Universe is trying to tell me to appreciate, appreciate, appreciate! I’m listening!
There has to be something to it when four people in one day cause you to stop and take notice. My friend John mentioned to me yesterday about tree-climbing and how it compares to life and jobs and friends. I think he’s spot on. Let’s see if I get this right: you’ve got to make the decision to climb at some point, you’ll make mistakes and get scratches and bruises now and then, but then you get to stop and sit and marvel at the progress you’ve made. You take risks and climb higher, you lend a hand to a friend who is struggling to catch their footing, and you stop and sit and marvel the view now with a friend by your side. Nice view, but it might be better from the top, so you reevaluate your climb and decide in order to provide stability you’re better off staying where you’re at. You make sacrifices and you even settle for less sometimes. Eventually, you can’t stop the itch and one day go out on a limb, the limb breaks and you crash to the ground, your friends are there to dust you off and give you a leg up. You’re resilient and strong so you not only make it to where you were perched before, you climb higher. Later the wind comes up and shakes the branches but you’re confident your foothold is solid. You look around and appreciate the people not only that helped you climb, but the ones that picked you up and got you back on track…the analogy can go on, but the tall and short of it is that we all have those people we forgot to thank or forgot they even helped. Today’s the day for all of it!
Pay it forward, take it back, make amends, say you’re sorry, whatever it takes to make peace and give thanks for the many wonderful people who made time for you in their busy lives. Give your thanks unconditionally today and maybe tomorrow you will have changed the world. I think today’s article coincides with administrative professional’s day…maybe this is YOUR sign to stop and take notice of the people that support you as you dangle from your tree.
Great message. When we pay it forward it always comes back to return the favor.