Three People

Last night, I met three people that I want to emulate. These people represent what I'm working towards becoming in two aspects of my life: now and a little bit later.

The first person: a helpful, charismatic group member. It's easier to slip into the negative, unhelpful role so for that reason, I want to be different. So last night's group meeting proved to be my first real challenge. Finding common ground and working efficiently was basically impossible so instead I tried to keep us focused and tried to help us not to be too serious. Yes, it's a huge group project and we're not getting anything done--so what get angry, shut down and stop talking. (If you've worked with a challenging group of people, you can relate.)

The next person: the complete nice perfect stranger. I was desperately lost trying to find some building on campus that I thought I should know how to find. I stopped the second person I saw (the first one was in a hurry). He gave the clearest directions and took the time to make sure I understood them. He even offered to let me follow him over there in our respective cars. I want to be able to be nice to people anytime--you never know when it can make their day (or their blog).

The third person: Nikki G. Honestly, I admit it wasn't all because of who she is (author, poet, professor) but because she can fill an auditorium and engage the audience by delivering a compelling and touching message through storytelling. I see myself commanding that level of attention one day. For now, it gives me something else tangible to aspire to.