Notice and Remember

At a conference today someone said that one key to good customer service is to notice and remember things. But, isn’t that what we all want…to be noticed, to be remembered? In our imperfection, we have this desire to know that we matter to others in the world. We want to know that someone noticed us – our clothes, our work, our effort. We want to know that things we do or say will be remembered and passed on. We all know (and have repeated to our kids) that it shouldn’t matter what other people think. It’s so hard to live by that code. We know that we’ve been noticed by (read: claimed!) and remembered by the only one who truly matters – God. But those pesky desires for validation and accolade still slip in. I have found validation in the work I do. Drastically changing careers after nearly 20 years was a risk, but I am now in the place I believe I truly belong. Now I know I can make a difference – I will be noticed and remembered. But the best part is that it’s the children who grow up after coming through our halls that will really be noticed. They will be noticed for the kind and loving people they grow into. And it is I who will remember them. No one needs to know my name or tell my story.

Notice the transformations around you – in people, in nature. Remember the feelings in your soul before and after those life-changing moments you experience. That’s what matters. That’s where validation is found.

02/27/2010