Teach Me To Tell People They Matter

I was playing a concert a few months ago. The night had gone pretty good. We were still getting into our comfort zone with our new singer, but it had seemed tonight things were starting to come together and we were sounding like a real band. It’s a good feeling to know that you have a cohesive show to offer the audience and I think we were doing just that.

But the best part came after the show. When we were loading up our gear in to the cars, a professional musician came up to me and started saying how good we were and how we had our own unique sound. I was happy to here that, but then he said that I was awesome and that he didn’t know the band had a a professional drummer in its bag of tools.

Now that might not seem like much to you, but here’s the thing. In the twelve years I have been playing the drums, no one has ever told me that I was a professional. No one has ever paid me that compliment. And you know what, I needed to hear it. I needed to know what I was doing was worth something. I needed to know that people were getting something out of it. And for the first time I got just that. What a great feeling I had going home that I night.

This got me thinking. How many people have I done that for? How many people have I took aside and praised them for something their doing? Or how many people have I talked to one night and told them thank you for what they do in my life?

The answer: not nearly enough. Most of us go through this world, doing our own thing, not quite sure if it is having even the slightest dent on the people around us. Some of us continue everyday, not really sure if what we do matters and or effects people. But why is it this way? We are social people. We are beings that want the attention of others and we hope to always have the community of others. But that part is one sided.

I need to go a step further and let others know that they matter like that guy did to me. People who work hard in this life deserve to know that they have place in this world and that they are valued. They need to know people care about what they do and more importantly care about them.

We all matter in this life. I need to let others know just that. And I need to say it as much as possible. I need to get behind others and support them whether they support me or not. We need each other and we would do well to remember that today and forever.

So to all of you…. YOU MATTER. 

And by reading this blog and thinking on the thoughts I put out, you make ME MATTER.