The student speaker at my niece’s graduation made an insightful comment that has been noodling around in my head since I heard it. Ben Ryan of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis said:
“I spent a lot of time asking myself who I was, eventually realizing that my best answer was ‘I don’t really know...So, instead of looking inward at something I didn’t understand, I began to pay more attention to what I was putting out. I started talking to the lunchroom staff every day when I got my lunch, really trying to connect with my teachers, having conversations with people that I would normally just walk past…What these small gestures made me realize is that we are what we put out. You are the people you surround yourself with. You are the stranger you start a conversation with in class. You are the person you smile at in the halls. You are the lunch server you tell to have a good day. What you put out is what you will become.”
I like this concept for its ease of implementation. Everyone can “put out” kindness and connection, and I think Ben is right that it benefits not only the person who receives it, but the giver as well.
Pay attention to what you “put out” today and let it reflect the person you wish to become.
