Today is the most IMPORTANT day make it count!

Is today just another day? Are you going to get up and go off to work, school, the gym, or to meet clients?  Maybe just some usual daily living activities like getting groceries, coffee, gas, picking up your dry cleaning or mail, or maybe even some yard work.  How many people will you come in contact with today?  How many of those people do you actually know?  If you think you know them, what do you know about them? Do you want to know more? Are you interested or do you even care?
  The answer to the first question is NO!  Today is not just another day, today is your day!  Today is the day that you CAN be the change you want to see in the world.  Today is the day that you can be, do, or have anything you want IF, (if is a little word with a big meaning), you put your mind to it.  Today is the day that YOU GET TO tell the people that are close to you that you love them.  You GET TO make a difference in peoples lives and change the world for the better!
Back in the day before the internet and cell phones, we used to have this thing called PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. Thank you in advance for allowing me to be a little sarcastic  for a moment and continuing to read any way! I’m simply trying to make a point that we over look and maybe don’t have time for anymore because of all of our “modern conveniences”.  The internet and cell phones that are supposed to make our lives so much more efficient and convenient to free up more of our time turn us into robots with no personal interaction.  Many of us don’t remember a time before all of this modern technology, a time where we had what I call the “the small town effect,” where everyone knows everyone else and what’s going on in their lives.
The small town effect occurred every where from small towns to big cities. People used to make a difference in other peoples lives daily.  It wasn’t uncommon to have a conversation with the person ringing up your groceries or your gas and the people standing in line behind you wouldn’t get mad, they would wait patiently until it was their turn, understanding that it was part of the process. Some times they might even add their two cents to the conversation.  Yes the world moved at much slower pace but was there something wrong with that?  There are still some people that move this way, you know the old guys who you saw reading the news paper, (what ever that is), enjoying some coffee at the local diner or coffee shop in your neighborhood.  They are in no rush, they would much rather take the time to enjoy each others company than to rush through the experience and get on with their day because they KNOW that today is the most IMPORTANT day and they DON’T KNOW when they will get to have this experience again. Chances are it will be tomorrow  but they don’t know that for sure so they’re going to enjoy every last drop of this experience NOW!
My point is that you really DON’T KNOW how many more times your going to have to GET TO have all of these experiences that we call life. I challenge you to take the time each day to get to really know someone that you interact with daily and never mind those complainers in line behind you! GET TO know your neighbors and what’s going on in their life you never know when you may need them or they may need you. Side note, I always laugh a little when I see or hear a news story and they interview the neighbors.  The neighbors always say the same thing “he or she seemed like a nice person but they kept to them selves and I didn’t know them that well but I can’t believe they did that”.  You should know the people living next door or across the street. When I was a kid, my family knew the majority of the people in our neighborhood for several blocks, we were connected and looked out for each other.
Making connections and building relationships enriches our lives in obvious ways but it also helps in ways we may not even recognize.  For example, this practice can help enrich your life at work.  Successful people in sales and business know the importance of personal relationships very well and the one’s that don’t are probably not very successful or haven’t reached their full potential. Sales people know that you must have a personal relationship with the client if you want them to trust you.  No one will buy anything from any body they don’t trust.  The more of a personal relationship a person has with someone, the more they are able to see what they need and are able to offer goods and services to meet their needs. Building these relationships includes getting to know the client, talking with them and getting to know about them. Learning their likes and dislikes, asking about their family and where they’re from as well as interacting with them and enjoying their company, for example, going out to eat or enjoying some entertainment together makes all the difference. Once a personal relationship is established the client will be more receptive to what you have to offer but the relationship always needs to be nurtured. Keep in touch and let them know you remember things about them by doing something like bringing them their favorite beverage, sending a birthday or an anniversary card.
Connecting with everyone on this level is not necessary but building relationships is necessary because it is the core of kindness and the human experience. We are on this planet in these bodies that can move and communicate, so why not take advantage of that opportunity and do just that?  Move, communicate, and connect! This is the most profound way to spread kindness.
Start TODAY making TODAY the most IMPORTANT day in your life, build one personal relationship every day and see how it changes your life to and the lives of others for the better. I know that you will go to bed at night feeling like you have made a difference in the world and that each day when you wake up will become more exciting because of the new connections that you make and the new experiences that you will GET TO have and enjoy. Till next time my friends SLOW DOWN and ENJOY your life and the people in it!  Thanks for reading!