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Have you ever thought about what people will remember about you years from now? Will they remember specific conversations you had? Or the great advice you gave them? Or a gift you may have given? Maybe. But what they’ll remember most is how they felt when they were with you. Last weekend was Father's Day and I hope you all had a beautiful day celebrating the Fathers, Step-fathers, Grandfathers and Father Figures in your life. For KC’s gift this year, I asked each of our kids to make a list of ten things they've learned from him. They came up with such thoughtful lists. ❤️ And as I read through them, I noticed that no one said “You’ve taught me to take my kids on great vacations.” Or, “You’ve taught me to buy my kids lots of gifts.” Instead, they wrote about the kind of person he's been in their lives. And how he has made them feel. It was a good reminder that every interaction we have with the people we love creates an experience. We are leaving an impact whether we realize it or not. So rather than wonder whether we are making an impact… (We are!) The better question is What kind of impact am I leaving? I’m sure we all want to make the people we love feel important to us. And the good news is that helping people feel important doesn't require special skills or lots of money. Here are 3 super simple things you can start doing right away: 1. Let people know you're happy to see them.When someone walks into the room, look up. Smile. Say hello. Give a warm hug if you’re a hugger. Put down what you're doing for a second. It sounds almost too simple, but think about how it feels when someone genuinely lights up just because you walked in the room. And then think about how it feels when they barely notice. Those first few seconds communicate so much. Make sure they are communicating what you want them to. 2. Give people your attention.In other words… PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE. Now I know this is a hard one for many (shoutout to my husband!).😂 And I know since we are on our phones so often, it's easy to keep scrolling, even while someone is talking to us. But giving our undivided attention is one of the clearest ways we tell someone, "You matter to me right now." So put the phone down, make eye contact, and really listen. And if you're right in the middle of something, that's okay. I’m often sending a text or email on my phone when one of our kids walks in and wants to talk. So you can say, "Give me a minute to finish this, because I really want to hear what you're saying." 3. Follow up.As busy as we all are, this might be the easiest one to overlook. So let’s say your friend tells you about an upcoming job interview. Or your spouse has a stressful meeting at work. Or your neighbor's mom is in the hospital. Follow up and ask about it. That one simple question says three things: "I listened. I remembered. And you matter to me." And if you're like me and just don’t remember things like you used to, use the notes app on your phone. Create a “Follow Up Folder” and jot down the date and the important thing to follow up on. Check it weekly and then reach out. It only takes a few seconds, but it means a lot. This week's challengeStart with one of these three habits and practice it intentionally this week. ✔️ Greet someone like you're genuinely happy to see them. ✔️ Put your phone down and give someone your full attention. ✔️ Follow up on something important in someone else's life. Together, these small actions have a way of making the people around us feel valued, appreciated, and important. And when people feel that way? They want to spend time with us, they trust us more, and the relationship gets stronger. If you want to go deeper into why these small moments matter so much - and hear the stories behind them - I talk about all of this in this week's podcast episode of Relating with Jen Funk. You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify using the links below.
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