Member-only story
What Will People Actually Remember About You
It’s not what you say or what you do but how you make others feel.
What will others remember about you?
Without giving this question much thought, I would say people remember what we say and what we do. The words we speak and the actions we take.
And while there’s plenty of truth to that, there’s something even greater people will remember us for beyond our actions and words.
Let’s run through what I call the hierarchy of memories. The hierarchy includes what was said, what was done, and what was felt.
What Was Said
The average person speaks 7,000 words a day. If you go about your day with standard interactions with others, that’s a whole lot of words to listen to. How much of what was said will you retain and recall five years from now?
Likely very little, if that.
We try talking a big game. We spend hours scripting speeches and carefully choosing our words. All for what? For the people who are listening (if they are actually listening) to remember next to nothing of what you say. A very strange thought.
Words do have meaning. But the vast majority of what you hear each day will not be retained.
