Choose to Leave Them Being Happy

As the pages of Maya’s graduation book were filling up, I wanted to find a quote about how we treat people. In the end, THAT is what people will remember…how we made them feel. This is a great recommendation from Mother Teresa:

Spread love everywhere you go.
Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

– Mother Teresa 1997

Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier…what a fantastic way to approach life. As people we are so complicated, so stressed out, so very burdened and busy living our own lives, we forget to make our focus – our core principle – bringing happiness to others. How might the world be different if each day we set our actions on the focus of making others feel happiness and joy, calm and confidence? It’s a tall order, yet it can be done.

We cannot control how people feel. We can control how our actions, attitude and we can speak words either build them up or tear them down. We can be kind, to foster kindness. We can be happy and joyful to exemplify what happy and joyful looks like. We can be prepared and calm amidst chaos in order to lead by example. And we can think before speaking such that our words input peace and confidence in people, not just so that we can always be the one in charge. How we behave with people, how we speak, treat them, and listen…most of all listen…shows them they are worthy of all good things.

Someone has to go first. Someone has to lead the way. It doesn’t mean you have to be the center, in control, or the life of the party. It means you need to think before speaking, choose your words wisely and understand the power actions and words have on the people in your life. Not all the thoughts in your head need to come out of your mouth, especially of it makes you feel better and ends up tearing down or demeaning someone else. You being right does not always make other people feel happy. THINK before you speak and act…that’s what Mother Teresa is suggesting. Be intentional in thought, word, and deed. It isn’t always easy, yet people will want to be around you when you make them feel better each time you interact.

So Maya, this is a reminder that life isn’t all about YOU! The best people I know are more focused on helping others feel good about themselves than they are about getting their own way. How we treat people matters. How they feel when they are in our presences leaves a mark. Good news is we get to choose what kind of mark we want to leave….so choose to leave them being happy!