I had a great conversation with one of my friends today. We were talking about how important our families were to us, how much we loved our kids and our spouses even though they sometimes drove us crazy, and how we struggled with being so busy with work.

I was talking about how busy I was getting ready for a big event.

And then my friend got quiet and she said, “I need to tell you something.” She said:

“I don’t know if you remember this, but there was a time when my husband and my daughter were both really sick. I couldn’t work because I had to take care of them. It was the hardest time in my whole life.

After they got better, I struggled to find work. And you were the one who helped me. You connected me with the person who introduced me to my current boss. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be working where I am right now.”

My friend is currently working for one of the top Fortune 50 companies and leading a major Learning & Development project for their Sales Group. I remember her telling me about the very difficult time she went through but I never realized, or maybe I forgot, I had indirectly helped her find her way back into the corporate world.

Then in a pensive way she said, “It all comes down to relationships. Not just in work, in life. You never really know how far the ripples of your impact extend. What you do is very, very important. Just remember that.”

I have to admit, we got pretty choked up. (I’m still choked up as I write this!)

All of it really does come down to relationships – meaningful connections with the people in your life. The people you work with, the people you live with, all the people whose paths we cross. They all matter.

Relationships give us meaning and purpose.

All the best,