Note to Self: Be a Reason for Thanks!
Recently I had the opportunity to share the origins of Good News Friday with 400 people at a special event in Portland. I described the vital role an optimistic outlook has on what we see and share and what we do:
When we start by looking for the Good all around us!
And just as Good News Friday keeps my mind healthy each week, its deeper lesson is that there's much more good to what we do than our ongoing "output." What's often MOST VALUABLE from us isn't something we get paid for, have ranked against others or made famous online.
But it matters as much as our job, if not MORE!
When I returned home from the event, I received a letter in the mail. It was a beautifully hand-written personal note. Within the space of a few lines, it affirmed for me that even though people had applauded the day before, we hardly know just how far we reach simply by being ourselves:
"I feel like we are friends..." it began, with warmth and feeling.
"I wanted to pause, thank you, for the things you share online..."
"I look forward to sharing them with people who matter to me..."
And finally -
"You mentor me from afar."
Imagine that for a moment. Someone you know only lightly online, a friend of a friend, takes time to read or watch the little things you share for free. With whom you haven't done a deal or received a fee. Then takes a moment to thank you - by hand - because you made a difference.
These are the moments we must never forget. Better still, we should make them, every day, if we can. Make a friend, have an impact, and lead the way - without paying for a lead or writing a contract or doing a deal to make it so.
The real meaning of Good News Friday isn't only to notice what others are doing to make the world a better place,
But to see that YOU TOO - me, You, we -
Make a difference in the smallest of ways.
As valuable as all that we're paid for;
But more priceless than we might even believe.
Realize that someone out there is willing to say thanks -
Simply because of YOU!