Even though I am in the more advanced stages of life, I can still remember my one teacher I had when I was in grade 8. She had a great impact on my life and taught me a lot regarding creative writing. I think she has a lot to do with the fact that I love writing today!
The one thing I absolutely loved about her is the fact that she put in a lot of effort to motivate us and most of all, she recognized us for who we were. We were only 14 years old, but she made us feel important and THAT made a difference in my life.
The mere fact that I was important to someone boosted my confidence and it made me feel so much better about myself. Going through a major part of puberty at that age, made life difficult, and for some reason, my teacher’s recognition made it all better.
We had hope and we knew that whatever phase of life we were in, it will get better, and life will not always be so difficult.
The whole point here is not about how I felt so many years ago, but what you can do for others to make them feel special.
How do you make someone feel as if they mean something?
I read a story once where a teacher took all her students in her class and individually made them feel special by telling them why they are important and what they mean to her.
She gave each of them a blue ribbon to wear for the day. Everyone got the same blue ribbon, and nobody felt more important than the other. At the end of the day, she gave each student a few more ribbons and asked them to pass it on to others, so that they could also feel special.
She reached many people in one day. The simple gesture of a blue ribbon might not have meant a lot to some, but to others, the blue ribbon gave them the necessary boost to go on with their lives.
It would be funny if we all walked around with blue ribbons but there are so many other ways for us to make someone feel special.
Let us change the way we think about others this year. We have 364 days left with so many opportunities. Instead of spending time with yourself, take five minutes per day to make someone else feel special.
