Yesterday I attended a memorial for Susan Lanfray. Susan wasn’t a close friend, but someone that I met eight years ago through an association that I am active in. We were never super close, but I always regarded her as one of the nicest people that I had ever met. Susan always smiled and made people feel welcome. She worked in an accounting firm as a marketing director and was a mentor to many people, including many competitors. She gave back to the community that she loved.
I’m not one to attend a lot of formal memorial services because I believe that every person grieves in a different way. Yet, for some reason, I was compelled to attend this one. I am happy that I went because listening to people talk about Susan reminded me of just how important the following things are:
- Smile because it makes the world brighter.
- Have a positive attitude. Bonus points if you are positive during the toughest of times.
- Volunteer in organizations, not because it’s good for business, but because you can make a difference.
- Dream big, but don’t worry if those dreams don’t work out as planned. Sometimes the universe has a better plan for us.
- Be a mentor.
- Be a friend.
- Life is too short not to take chances.
- You make a difference in the lives of others even if you don’t realize it.
It’s natural that people’s family and close friends are impacted when they die. That’s natural. Susan was one of those people that treated her business relationships like family. She made a difference in her industry and in the lives of the people that she knew.
I thank Susan for this reminder and hope that by reading this she can make a difference in your life.
Ask yourself, how are you making a difference?