I doubt he remembers, but I do. I remember because it has been seven years and I still carry with me what he told me that morning.
I was a student teacher my senior year of college. Every teacher had a morning duty and on the way to mine I would pass him in the entryway. I was incredibly nervous that first week, but every morning he greeted me with the most genuine smile and asked how I was doing. I’d answer and continue on my way, but I noticed that I was smiling on the rest of my walk just from our interaction.
He was one of the guidance counselors and the students loved him. His morning duty required him to stand at the front entryway to make sure the morning went smoothly. Most saw morning duty as something they had to do to make sure students got where they needed to go. But, you could tell he saw an opportunity where others saw a requirement. Day after day, I’d watch students walk through the doors and be transformed upon seeing him. Their discouraged, angry, or tired demeanor disappeared as soon as he smiled and asked how they were doing.
One morning, I jokingly asked him how he had so much energy in the morning. His response was, “I just want to give everything I have while I have the chance.” His response really resonated with me. He choose to take morning duty and use it to positively impact every student/teacher/employee he encountered.
We talked last week about the importance of recognizing the opportunities in front of us. And, equally important is what we choose to do with those opportunities. While we discussed two questions you should never ask, there is one that you should. You should ask, what will others gain?
When we ask what will others gain, even required tasks become opportunities. On the surface, there was not much that the guidance counselor could gain from his morning duty. But, what may have been an undesired task for many was an incredible opportunity to set the tone for the students’ day. I watched him change lives those mornings.
There is an opportunity in everything that we do if we think of others first. The opportunity itself is less important than giving everything we have while we have the chance.
Think of others first and you may never know the influence you have on someone. So much of what we do is an opportunity to impact others and you may never realize the importance of your presence. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember our interaction that morning, but I will never forget it. With his words and his character, he changed the way I look at opportunities and that one conversation has continued to shape my experiences. You may never know the influence you have on someone.