If you are familiar with Gandhi, you might know that he said that the best way to find oneself is in the service of others. One of the best ways to serve others is not through big steps but through the smallest acts of kindness that you can incorporate into your daily habits.
On the surface, this advice might seem a bit insignificant but we all have had moments in our lives where a little thing or a kind word made a big difference for the day.
If you are ready to leave your mark, the following tips will help you:
Pay Attention to People
This tip is also great for living an interesting life and living in the moment. People remember people who understand and listen. Now, you don’t necessarily have to understand, but you can listen. In fact, becoming an active listener is a great skill to have, and it can help you be present with the people you interact with every day.
The general rule is to remember the people’s names and their stories when you meet them. Besides, you never know whose story might prove inspirational enough for you to hire one of the best ghostwriters to share the story with the world.
Nonetheless, you get the point – by remembering people’s names, you will make them feel valued, which creates a great impression of you, too.
Solve Problems
In a world where problems constantly surround us, you can leave your mark by being able to provide solutions and solve problems. This way, you can leave your mark and help people rise from the darkest pits of their lives.
When it comes to solving problems effectively, the ideal starting point is to identify what exactly needs to be fixed. Often, people believe that something is a problem when, in reality, it is something else that is in the background that needs some fixing.
So, the best method would be to determine the root cause of the problem and find more than one solution to fix the problem. Once you have multiple solutions in place, you will want to narrow down the list to the one solution that will work best for you.
Help people plan and successfully implement the solution. Stay with them while they measure its success.
Set High Standards
Another way to leave your mark is to set high standards and allow other people to see what you are doing and how you are giving your best. It all starts with setting high standards for yourself by remaining disciplined and consistent while aiming at achieving high levels of things and skills.
However, you will want to focus on yourself while setting high standards and avoid falling into the trap of setting high standards for everyone else, as it might make them pull away from you instead of towards you. Give everyone the chance and space to be themselves and try to rise to your level.
If people see what you are doing and how you are doing it, they will be inspired to do the same, which is to set high standards for themselves, too. Now, having high standards might incorporate the following:
- Remaining consistent in words and actions.
- Aligning words with actions.
- Staying true to one’s values – no matter what.
- Following through with the goals one has set for themselves.
- Trying to reach excellence in everything or at least trying to reach excellence.
- Showing up – you must understand how to show up in all aspects of life, such as friends, relationships, health, work, etc.
- Understanding that everything matters, including the smallest things. Excellence lies in the details.
- Being able to cut out people who don’t serve you anymore.
The following tips will help you with setting high standards for yourself:
- Being consistent with working on personal development – even if it is for ten minutes.
- Prioritizing personal development instead of hiding behind excuses,
- Being confident in yourself and your ability to improve yourself.
- Holding oneself accountable for everything that one does.
- Admitting to one’s flaws and accepting the weaknesses that one has to overcome.
- Not allowing negative thoughts to get hold of you; instead, trying to gauge where the negative thoughts are coming from and how they are affecting the quality of your life.
Live with Integrity
If you want to leave a mark in the world and live a life that others can seek inspiration from, you will always want to live with integrity. You will want to understand the costs that are associated with living and leading with integrity, and no matter how much it costs, you will want to do the right thing anyway.
By living with integrity and taking the steps that need to be taken, you can also inspire the people you are leading to take the right steps, as they will be seeing you doing the same.
Genuinely Compliment People
To make a great first impression, you will want to compliment people and do so in the first half minute of the meeting or the conversation. It is important to mention here that you want to compliment them by being truthful. So, the best thing to do is to be specific with your compliments and choose something personal so that the recipient of the complement feels valued.
The right compliments will uplift the mood and improve the overall well-being of people. Also, it will make them feel good about themselves. As a matter of fact, compliments are good – not only for the receiver but also for the giver. The underlying reason is that verbal affirmations, especially positive ones, tend to light up certain areas in the brain that also light up when one receives a financial reward.
When it comes to complimenting and making people feel good about themselves, you don’t necessarily have to go overboard – but – you can simply acknowledge their gifts and talents. Also, when they are talking, you will want to avoid interrupting and listening in silence instead. Maintain good eye contact, as this will indicate that you are valuing them and want to connect with them.
