You have heard me say this before and you’ll probably hear it again, the reason being that it may very well affect your life life for the better….or worse. On a Sunday morning I was sitting at our breakfast table talking to my wife Barbara about a math book we just bought for our niece the evening before at Barnes & Noble. Title: Math Sucks written by Danica McKellar…the girl who played Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years. (Yep! I’m coming out 20 bucks light regardless of who I buy one for…reference to a previous message of my being a bookstore junkie.) We (Barbara and I) were sharing thoughts about something (I don’t remember what) when she hit me with a sentence that sat me right back in my chair, and virtually took over my thought process for the rest of the day. “Math is what steered me away from college,” my wife said. “As a sophomore, I began taking business courses because in my freshman year, my teacher failed to teach me the basics. I felt lost from there on out.” I’m not here today to bad mouth math teachers, and I am certainly not exonerating my wife from not learning the significance of a common denominator from somebody other than her freshman math teacher. I am saying that what I heard on Sunday morning from a mature woman, many years after the fact, was that she still remembers an experience as a freshman in high school, and still considers this episode to be instrumental in her not pursuing a certain path in life. Are you following me? If not read that last sentence again. It may be the most important sentence you read for the next 25 years. Personally, I have numerous examples from my life involving people who had an influence on me, both good and bad, and they have no idea how their words, actions or personal involvement (or lack thereof) have affected my life…both positively and negatively. I’m not here today to dump my personal baggage on you, I am here today to remind you of a very powerful truth:
YOUR WORDS COUNT! YOUR ACTIONS COUNT! YOU COUNT!
I realize for some of you this may be difficult to believe…but there are a few people out there who are actually listening to what you have to say. They believe that you, your words and your actions actually mean something. Go figure! Believe it! You have no idea how a few words can influence a person in one way or another. I know you know what I’m talking about. Therefore, enough said. So, let’s play. Take a moment to email me an instance in your own life where somebody actually made a difference. Preferably, share with me a sentence or two from your past that you will never forget…positively. 
Mike Marchev has plenty of stories, strategies and tactics to keep you on top of your game. Mike will be conducting his 5th annual Travel Sales & Marketing Business Development Cruise, sailing the Freedom of The Seas from Ft. Lauderdale. Email him at mike@mikemarchev.com for complete details. Five cabins are still available. Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.
