You Never Know

You never know the impact you have on people. Nor do they know the impact they have on you. So, it really helps when you at least try to let people know what they mean to you. And, it is also important to keep in mind that your actions, and inactions, are being viewed and judged and that they do impact people.

Over the weekend, my buddy Chris Pearson, developer of the Thesis Theme, tweeted the following:

pearsonified: Did you know? @keener was the *very first* Thesis customer and is therefore a barometer for the biz. I lose him; I lose everything.

Until this tweet, I had no idea I was the first to purchase Thesis, or that Chris viewed my continued satisfaction with it as a measure of his business success. So, this is certainly example of having an impact without knowing it.

In the past few months, a few of my friends have passed away: Buster B Jones, Walter Hunt, and Donny Sullivan. As I reflect on their passing, I am confident that none of us truly knew the impact we had on each other. I remember learning that Walt had written in his journal that he really enjoyed getting a call from me, and considered me a “class act,” when I called him after I found out he had brain cancer. That was a huge surprise to me that Walt consider me a “class act.” Flattering, but a surprise.

And, while Buster knew that I loved his guitar playing, I doubt that he knew how much of an inspiration he was to me. Right now I am feeling pretty damned uninspired, and I can no longer talk with him to pull me out of my “uninspiredness.”

(Speaking of that, I am in the midst of the worst writer’s block I’ve had in a long time, so I am not sure when I will post next.)

Anyway, I wanted to share this thought with you. I’d say the chances are very good that you mean much more to some people than you ever imagined, and that there are people who do not understand how much they mean to you. Enough said.