I grew up in a small town and the most important thing in that small town was the people. Without them there is no small town. There are all kinds of hopes and dreams in small town USA that it is hard to soak them all in. I believe that if you listen enough and ask the right questions you can learn a lot. While in banking my favorite thing to do was to listen to the people that came in on a daily basis. There were stories from fame and glory, war and tragedy, success and failures, to simple matters like what they were making for dinner. It didn't matter. Each person was happy to share and to have someone listen. That's how I made a small difference everyday.
I am thankful to be able to be versed in different cultures and want to learn more about people. Also, I'm happy to have been taught there is a balance between money and happiness. As a person you have to realize that money isn't everything and if you find a passion it will come naturally. I may still be looking for that passion myself but I am enjoying the ride along the way. With the help of all the people I have met I have not only learned some about what I want to be but also what I don't want to be.
I was talking to a person I met while in Las Vegas and she was really concerned that she wasn't making a difference in her life. I turned and said the world is a big place and you probably make a small difference in peoples lives and don't even realize it. A simple smile everyday and asking how people are doing is a small difference that can ripple like dropping a small pebble in a pond of water. I told her a story of during the financial collapse when I was worried about my job at Bank of America as the stock dropped like a rock to $3.50. How I was internalizing others problems and driving myself crazy. Then one day, I had a customer come in smiling, oblivious to what was going on and somehow it gave me hope. I looked out and cars were still driving down the road, people were still shopping at the stores nearby and things weren't as bad as the news had reported. Some just get caught up in the past and future that they don't realize that they should be happy to just still be here.
"Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?"-Henry James
So I guess what I am saying is with all the people I have met what matters the most is that you be optimistic, dream big, and don't let the nay-sayers get to you. Life will change with the tides and as long as you roll with them you will be all right. Just go after what you want and things will fall into place. Get out there and enjoy today! Cheers!
I am thankful to be able to be versed in different cultures and want to learn more about people. Also, I'm happy to have been taught there is a balance between money and happiness. As a person you have to realize that money isn't everything and if you find a passion it will come naturally. I may still be looking for that passion myself but I am enjoying the ride along the way. With the help of all the people I have met I have not only learned some about what I want to be but also what I don't want to be.
I was talking to a person I met while in Las Vegas and she was really concerned that she wasn't making a difference in her life. I turned and said the world is a big place and you probably make a small difference in peoples lives and don't even realize it. A simple smile everyday and asking how people are doing is a small difference that can ripple like dropping a small pebble in a pond of water. I told her a story of during the financial collapse when I was worried about my job at Bank of America as the stock dropped like a rock to $3.50. How I was internalizing others problems and driving myself crazy. Then one day, I had a customer come in smiling, oblivious to what was going on and somehow it gave me hope. I looked out and cars were still driving down the road, people were still shopping at the stores nearby and things weren't as bad as the news had reported. Some just get caught up in the past and future that they don't realize that they should be happy to just still be here.
"Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?"-Henry James
So I guess what I am saying is with all the people I have met what matters the most is that you be optimistic, dream big, and don't let the nay-sayers get to you. Life will change with the tides and as long as you roll with them you will be all right. Just go after what you want and things will fall into place. Get out there and enjoy today! Cheers!
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