Leave people better

I’ve come to realize that there are three possible ways we can impact lives around us.

Three possible options:

Better – Whereby you actively and consciously make the lives of the people around you better. Your presence will be forever etched in their memory.

Worse – Whereby people are worse off after meeting you. Your absence brings happiness to others, and they regret knowing you.
There is a third option.

Neutral – Whereby you add nothing or take away anything from people around you. You are forgotten, once you are no more in their lives.

To leave people better, you will need to watch out for their interest and truly care for their needs. You may need to be the listening ear, provide the shoulder they can cry on when necessary, or you can be that friend they can rely on when they are in trouble. You motivate and encourage people to be their best, you create an environment where everyone is free to thrive. Leaving people better is a win-win situation, as it can create a better world, and you do it, not because of what you stand to gain, but because of what the other person or people will benefit. It is not about self-interest.

But the other scenario…

Where you put your self-interest over that of every other people around you will end up hurting relationships. You may temporarily have your way, but ultimately, you create a toxic environment where people are not thriving leading to a lose-lose situation. You only care about your concerns, you are not providing the helping hands to lift others up, and the opinion and welfare of others mean nothing to you. You make people worse off after their encounter with you.

And yet….

Some play it safe, you cause no harm, and you offer no help.

To you that leave people better …keep up the great work.
To you that leave people worse, have a change of heart. Life is not only about you.
To you that is indifferent, there is a better alternative, step up and become concern about others genuinely.

I’ll reiterate my belief that to live a worthy life, we must be able to touch, and impact lives positively. We must strive to create a better workplace, relationship, and indeed a better world.

We all have a role to play.

Leave people better and together we will create a better world.