I'm sure many of us have nick names. They are given to us by our parents, siblings or our friends. They usually just happen and then the nick name sticks and we use it for the rest our lives.
Did you know that I once had the nick name, Gus?
Yes... Gus.
No one calls me Gus. I don't think any of my closest friends know that I once had the nick name Gus. In fact, I don't think I've been referred to as Gus in over 30 years!
Gus... it's so random.
Yet I always remember that nick name and the guys that gave it to me,
I was maybe 12 years old and our class went to a high school for some educational field trip. During this field trip we took a tour of the high school. For some reason I ended up meeting some Seniors. They had their letterman jackets and just exuded coolness.
When you're 12 years old and 17 year olds take notice of you, it almost feels like you are the coolest person alive. Being my normal 12 year old self I just acted goofy and was sarcastic to them. So yes, even at the age of 12 I was a sarcastic little brat! haha. Despite my goofiness they still thought I was a hilarious kid.
Even still, I gave them a hard time and refused to give them my name and so they called me Gus. They spent the most of the day talking to me. Me, a 12 year old little fat kid who never saw himself as particularly cool.
Giving some kid they didn't know a nick name was such a small action. What they didn't know was the larger impact it had on my life.
How large of an impact? Well I'm telling this story 30 years later!
Their small action had such huge importance, and they never knew it.
They didn't know that they made me feel wanted and noticed when I never felt that way.
They didn't know the happiness they gave me when I truly needed it at that time.
They didn't know the kindness they showed gave me hope when I was on the verge of losing it.
They didn't know they showed me that there are people out there who could appreciate and accept someone for who they are.
They didn't know how important they made me feel in that moment in time.
They didn't know they shaped a large part of what I do and how I work with clients.
So try not to spend too much time thinking and worrying about how much impact your small actions can have. Just know that your actions matter and have more power and importance than you may realize.
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