Let me tell you something that took me nearly eighty years to fully understand. Remember I am a slow learner; I did have to repeat grade one.
Most of the people in your life will not do what you tell them to do.
They will not follow your advice, no matter how wise. They will not heed your
warnings, no matter how well-intentioned. They will not adopt your beliefs, no
matter how passionately you hold them.
But they will watch what you do.
And that, right there, is why you matter more than you think.
There are always four kinds of people in any room.
Some will hear but not listen. Your words go in one ear and out the
other. They nod. They smile. They change nothing.
Some will listen but not understand. They try. They genuinely want to
get it. But the meaning does not quite land. The connection does not quite
form.
Some will understand but not act. They see the truth. They feel the
pull. And then they sit on their hands, paralyzed by fear or habit or the
simple weight of inertia.
And then there are the few. The ones who hear, listen, understand, and
act. They are rare. They are precious. And they are watching you.
But here is what I have learned. You never know which is which. You
never know who is listening and who is just hearing. You never know who will
act today and who will act next year or next decade.
So, you keep showing up. You keep being the person you hope they will
become.
