We were sitting at a local Tim Hortons with a group of friends and family last Friday evening and the conversation soon turned to a topic that has been the subject of countless conversations in the last few days: the passing away of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett on June 25, 2009. Michael Jackson's life work is impressive, but his musical genius was at its height in the eighties. Farrah Fawcett's role in the television series Charlie's Angels and her infamous poster made her an icon of the seventies. (How many of us women in our late thirties and forties sported the Farrah Fawcett hairstyle once upon a time?) Funny how some people define the style and culture of certain decades. Of course, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones ruled the sixties and the television series Friends and the band U2 had a huge following in the nineties. Who has defined the new millenium so far?
This got me thinking about my own life, who and what has made a lasting impression on who I have become? I attended a conference with Dr. Phil a few years ago and he asked us to take a few minutes to write down the ten most impactful events of our lives (positive or negative) and then to list the five people who have marked us the most deeply (encouraging us to think beyond our parents and spouse). This was a very revealing exercise. I was reminded that sometimes a fleeting encounter with someone or a seemingly ordinary day could leave an indelible mark on your life.
My mother worked full time as a physician - which was a rare occurence for a woman in the early sixties. This meant she had to rely on child care for my sister and I. The French Catholic Convent ran a day care near our home. The good sisters had already taught me how to count, read and write my letters so when it was time to enroll me into school, I had to skip kindergarten and was the youngest student in grade 1. I never did quite fit in and had a hard go of it. I fondly remember my grade 1 teacher, Mme Boudreau, who had been so kind to me. I still cherish the book she had given me as a prize for my reading ability. Maybe that is what got me started as an author? (my third publication is due out this Fall!)
Once, I ran into a woman who used to work with me. I didn't know her name but I recognized her face. She told me that she had attended one of my workshops a few years back and had admired my dynamic presentation style especially my sense of humour and passion for the subject. She came to see me at the end of the workshop to congratulate me. She confided that she would love to do public speaking but she was much too shy. She wished she had my self-confidence. I replied that self-confidence was a state of mind. You have to feel the fear and do it anyway. I told her that I was sure that she could be a good public speaker if she put her mind to it. Well, she took my advice to heart apparently and signed up for a Toastmasters group. She ended up changing the focus of her career and became a public speaker giving educational talks and leading workshops. She wanted to thank me for having made a difference in her life. Who knew? A few simple words of encouragement to a participant in a workshop was a life changing moment in someone's life!
This is my challenge to you this week: make a list of the the persons or the events that has defined each of the decades of your life. Does it shed light on who you have become? Is there anyone you would like to thank?
With the knowledge that sometimes little things can change the direction of your life what would you do differently today?
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