After my dad died, way back when I was just 17, I found myself thinking about something quite profound. What do I want people to say about me after I'm gone? It's not something I dwell on, but every now and then I think it's healthy to zoom out and ask ourselves the bigger questions. When my time comes, I don't really mind whether people remember what I did for a living, how successful I was, or what I achieved. Those things have their place, but they don't feel like the measure of a life to me. What matters most is how I made people feel. When I reflected on that, I realised there was one thing that mattered more than anything else. I'd love for people to say, "I always felt better after I'd spent time with Sarah." Not because I solved all of their problems or always knew the right thing to say, but because they felt seen. Because they felt heard. Because, even if only for a few moments, they felt that somebody genuinely cared. That realisation changed something in me and became a conscious way of living from that day on. Now, whether I'm giving a psychic reading, coaching a client, chatting to the cashier in Tesco, thanking the person who's clearing my table in a coffee shop, speaking to the bus driver or listening to another mum at the school gates who's having a difficult day, I try to hold one simple intention: How can I make a positive impact in this person's day, in this moment??
Sometimes that looks like really listening instead of waiting for my turn to speak. Sometimes it's expressing genuine gratitude to someone whose work often goes unnoticed. Sometimes it's complimenting a stranger because I genuinely love her outfit or telling someone they've done a wonderful job. They're such small things and most of the time they take only a few seconds. But I've come to see that it's often the smallest interactions that leave the biggest impression. Spirit has taught me something beautiful over the years. We rarely remember every conversation we've had, but we almost always remember how someone made us feel. I know that's true for me. I can still remember moments when someone showed me unexpected kindness, offered a word of encouragement or simply made me feel like I mattered. They may not even remember those interactions themselves, but I do. That's the kind of person I want to be.
Now, I want to be clear that this isn't about becoming a people-pleaser or putting everyone else's needs ahead of your own. In fact, I don't believe we can consistently pour into other people if we're running on empty ourselves. Looking after ourselves isn't separate from this principle. It's what makes it possible. When we're grounded, when we're honouring our own needs and living in alignment with ourselves, kindness becomes something we naturally extend to others. It stops feeling like something we *have* to do and becomes a reflection of who we are.
And here's the lovely irony. I don't move through life with this mindset because I'm hoping something good will come back to me. If that's the motivation, I think we've missed the point entirely. But over the years, I've noticed that life has a funny way of weaving threads together. Some of the greatest opportunities, friendships and unexpected blessings in my own life have come from conversations I'd almost forgotten or acts of kindness that seemed completely insignificant at the time. Years later, something would come full circle in a way I could never have predicted or orchestrated myself. For me, though, those moments are simply a beautiful by-product. The real reward is knowing I've lived in a way that feels true to my values. Because at the end of the day, I don't think people remember us for our achievements nearly as much as they remember how they felt in our presence. If I can leave people feeling a little lighter, a little more hopeful or simply a little more seen than they did before we met, then that's a life I'll be incredibly proud of. With love, always Sarah xx