What Are the Moments That You Remember?

I was listening to T.D. Jakes talks about the moments his children remember, like spending time with him instead of the toy he purchased them. It got me thinking. What are the moments in time that I remember vividly, like they just happened yesterday, in my personal and business lives? For those moments, I remember where I was, what was said, who said it, what color clothes I was wearing, everything…

 

 

Why are some moments so clear and unforgettable? They don’t have to be good moments either!

Personal

I remember my grandparents! I remember their faces without having to look at a picture because they are indelibly printed in my brain. I remember their funerals. My grandmother told me that how a person leaves this world told a lot about how they lived – if people celebrate you and say how you have impacted their lives, you’ve lived a good life. If people must find something to say about you, or worse, noone feels that you impacted them enough to say something about you, your life was inconsequential! OK? To this day, I pay last respects, if I can – even on Zoom!

• My grandfather was an ordinary man with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face. He looked just like Juan Valdez from the coffee commercial and hummed all the time. At his funeral, children went up to his coffin to touch his face – they were unafraid and thought he was sleeping. There was a lot of laughter, food, merriment, and storytelling that included his exploits. We weren’t glad that he was gone; we were delighted he lived a good life and we felt better for him being here.
• My grandmother’s funeral was a spectacle! Busloads of people descended on our community to pay homage to her because it was announced on the radio and in the newspapers. It was so crowded that I had to push through to see her. I had an attitude the entire time. Who are all these people, and from where did they come? Then, these people started to tell stories about how they wouldn’t be where they were (a few celebrities!) because my grandmother gave them food, money, clothes, advice – whatever was needed to get to where they are now. And I just knew her as my grandmother! It was the most extended funeral service in history as everyone had to say something about her. She had a good life.

Business

• I remember the first time Peggy and I got an award for our fledgling business. We were both wearing red jackets, black slacks with white shirts – our uniform. We got so much press from that award that, for the next 15 years, I became an awards junkie and applied for every award that came out. We have plenty of awards—and press—to show for it.
• I remember working very hard to get our business to $1 million. I remember working so hard that I didn’t realize when the company surpassed $1 million until the end of the year when we got ready to do the taxes. I remember Peggy calling me screaming that we passed $1 million and staring at the Income Statement because that was not the fulfillment of a dream but the beginning.
• I remember holding the first copy of our book and just so filled with joy at having that accomplishment.

What are the things that you remember? Are they negative or positive? People indeed remember how you make them feel. You can change your memories by changing your actions and activities today.