Be Someone…

Negativity surrounds us.

Nice start to inspiration, Mike. I know. I know. Trust me. I will get there. Just give me a few paragraphs.

I recently read somewhere that we complain because we are looking for a connection to others through the universal struggles we all face. And honestly? That broke my heart a bit. But through self-reflecting, I can envision myself doing that more often than I care to admit. We can all probably recollect the moments that we look toward the negative because people…get it. They…get us.

Throughout my adult life, I have been looked at as “Mr. Positivity” and I wear that badge with honor, especially because I have not always been that way. This mindset became my way of life after some challenges in high school, and I refuse to relinquish the power of positivity now after all it has done for me. I learned that I did not have to live in a constant state of reaction or fear. We do not have to be victims of the hurdles life places in front of us. Clearing the hurdles is up to us. Our mindset is our choice.

Our lives do not have to be the totality of our problems, especially if we find the power of putting good out for others. Part of my reasoning in becoming an educator to begin with was the opportunity to show students that the world was not out to get them. And we can make it a better place by walking with, instead of against one another.

We are human beings. We can always find a negative story to tell. When I was younger, I remember one of my cousins telling me that I only remembered the bad things. She might have been right. There are countless situations I can think of in this moment during which I allowed complaints to take precedence over positives - some situation when another person was insensitive, selfish, or plain didn’t care. And part of my goal in working with kids was trying to show them the opposite was true - that there were positives on which we could place that focus.

I never wanted my students to believe that negatives should tell the entire story. This didn’t mean we pretended rough moments in life were nonexistent. That is a boldface lie. We avoided spreading toxic positivity to the point of it being unrealistic. The target was to provide happiness, so that when the challenges did arise, we knew there was something or someone we could lean on.

If you look closely enough and channel your innermost positive self, you can always find at least one good thing that happened in a day. A phone call with a relative. A message from someone you haven’t talked to that says “I miss you.” Someone holding the elevator for you when you are running late. A smile from a stranger in a place you are visiting for the first time.

These are all signs of someone looking out for you. And I want to let you in on a tiny secret that it took me a long time to realize. These little moments? They happen more often than we think they do.

Remember when I mentioned that we complain to connect with others? Yeah. Let’s try something different. Connect by being the positive piece to someone’s daily puzzle. Give them the breath of kindness when all the chaos is drowning them. Be the someone who gives them hope the world is actually not against them.

We have all had bad days. The ones when hiding under a blanket until the sun comes back up feels like our only option. You know the kind. Think about those days and what would have changed it. A hug? A smile? A phone call? If you experienced one of those acts during a rough day, you know the power of a small, kind gesture.

So my challenge today is to “Be Someone” for another person. I have had my share of “someones” throughout life (two in the cover photo), and trust me when I say that they can be all the difference in how we view the world. Whether it is a student, a colleague, a friend, or family member…go be someone who can change the face of an otherwise really ugly, tough world.

Be someone willing to accept the uniqueness of others with an open mind.

Be someone with the gas to fuel the tank when its on E.

Be someone who does the little things.

Be someone with the consistent energy to keep showing up, not simply when you feel like it or it is convenient for you.

Be someone who is there when they need you.

Be someone with the ability to remind them they are loved and matter to you.

Be someone who believes in who they can become and the greatness they can accomplish.

Be someone who tells them the above over and over again.

Be someone with the empathy to listen without needing to give advice.

Be someone who listens with the intent to understand.

Be someone with honesty at the ready.

Be someone who brightens the darkest of days with a simple smile.

Be someone with the legacy they will pass down for generations and generations to come.

Be someone who forgives.

Be someone with kindness on their hearts and in their actions…because after all…it is the easiest thing you can do.

Be someone who has the strength to catch them if they should fall.

Be someone with the ability to pick up the pieces after a mistake or heartbreak crumbles them.

Be someone willing to pay attention to the needs of others.

Be someone ready with a note or text to wish them luck, a great day, or send a smile when things don’t seem right.

Be someone who makes everyone feel like a someone.

Be someone with the modesty and humility to accept being wrong…and learn from it when you are.

Be someone who makes someone else look forward to tomorrow.

Be someone with the compassion to provide the heartbeat for others - the encouragement to stand up in the face of life’s most difficult challenges.

Be someone who starts ridding of that negativity that surrounds us.

And if you can be that someone? The inevitability of hard days just won’t seem so tough anymore.