Most Likely To

I filled out a survey today for the high school yearbook. One of the questions asked whether I was nominated for a superlative back when I was in high school myself, and what my superlative would be now, if I had to guess.

That question followed me the whole afternoon.

My high school self was not thinking about superlatives. He was too busy worrying about what everyone else thought of him. He was kind. He was friendly. But he was also insecure, mostly about being the tallest kid in school, and he lacked real confidence in himself. He was not winning anything. He was just trying to get through the hallway without being noticed too much.

The past two years, the senior class has nominated me for Most Friendly, and the year before that, Most Likely to Brighten Your Day. Different titles, same idea both times. I teach mostly seniors, and they know exactly what I am about by the time they leave my classroom.

What That Costs Me

I was raised to treat others the way I want to be treated. Working with kids makes that idea a little sharper than it sounds. The hello you give a student passing in the hallway on a random morning might be the only time an adult shows them any kindness that entire day, and it's certainly a good start to the day. It costs me absolutely nothing to say it. It might be worth everything to the kid who gets it.

I am laser focused on getting better than I was yesterday, in just about everything. I try to lift other people up, and I try not to make it transactional when I do it. I will go out on a limb to help somebody without needing anything in return for it. I will be honest too. I love to be seen and lifted up when I need it.

We need more people who see the world that way. Making tiny improvements ourselves has to come first, before we are in any position to lead anyone else. A leader is only a leader if there are people who actually choose to follow. Nobody is required to follow you just because you have the title.

This Is My Why

I am not perfect. I make mistakes, and I have made plenty of them. My yard looks good, but is not perfect. My life is not perfect. But I wake up every day and try to make it a little better than the one before. I have come a long way from that kid in the hallway, and I am still writing my own story, one day at a time, not a finished one.

I want to help other people write theirs too. Sports has always been my avenue for that, my thoroughfare. It is the road I know how to walk, and I believe it is what I was meant to do.

That insecure kid who worried about what people thought of him is exactly why ELEVATE exists now. Everything I just described, becoming someone worth following before asking anyone to follow you, treating kindness as something that costs nothing but means everything, getting a little better every day instead of staying where you are, is not a slogan I came up with for a program. It is the actual belief underneath it. I built ELEVATE because I think leadership has to start there, with the person, long before it ever gets to the roster or the title.

If your senior class nominated you for something today, not back in high school, but right now, based on how you actually show up, what would it say about you?

— Kevin