Interactions

“People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

I googled this quote to see who said it originally and stumbled on several variations quoting different individuals. Ultimately, who said it first does not matter. What matters is that this quote is profoundly true.

In my own life, I can instantly think of 2 recent instances where this quote has been proven true.

The first example occurred over the summer. I was on Facebook and came across someone I had not seen since I was in 8^th grade in that “people you may know” section. I sent them a request and before I knew it, there was a message in my inbox and an accepted friend request. The message was direct, to the point and made me cry. The woman I friended was not popular in school, and she often was given a hard time. Her message to me, 10 years since the last time we saw each other, thanked me for never joining in on the teasing and making her feel like she was special. To be honest, I can’t even remember a full interaction with her, but she did. I was moved that she remembered me so fondly and I was happy that I was able to make her feel good.

The next example happened over the weekend. I had an interaction with an individual who is “higher ranking” than me at work and it was truly disheartening. I can’t recall exactly what was said, or even how it was said, but I do know that my interaction with her left me feeling belittled and dumb. That one exchange between me and her has left me with such a poor outlook on her, that I know it will impact my future opinions of her.

It is important to remember that how you treat people is important. Even at times when you don’t think it makes a difference. People do not forget the way you made them feel.