Footprints

When we were kids, we all had that friend who was fully trusted by our parents. I was that friend. For every event, my name was like a secret password to be allowed to leave the house. It wasn't a big deal for me at the time, but after growing up, I realized how much faith and trust these parents had in me to believe their kids were safe with me.

I remember one particular funfair I attended with my friends when we were kids. The day before the event, one of my friends told me to come pick her up from her house. I thought she just wanted someone to attend the event with. Not knowing, her parents initially asked her not to go, so she just needed my presence in her house to change their minds. And it actually worked.

Writing about this just made me recall how most of my friends' parents really loved having me over and I thought that was that. I thought it was just like how our parents love to see our friends come over to play or learn with us. But many years later, and everything is coming together to me. I am beginning to understand how important it is to leave good footprints wherever you go.

One thing I’ve realized at work is that anytime my name is mentioned, even in my absence, my bosses have no problem because they believe in me. And the funny part is, sometimes I even have no idea how to go about the project being assigned to me in absence, but then, it feels like I have left a mark that screams, "She is capable".

I believe that as long as we meet new people every day, we will always create impressions of ourselves. Either directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally. And it is up to us to decide what kind of impressions we want to leave.

Wherever you find yourself, just try to leave a positive mark. It could be through kindness, hard work, intelligence, you name it. In the end, let your name speak for you. Would you rather people smile at the mention of your name or roll their eyes? The ball is in your court.