Moments of Impact
Moments that changed your life. We’ve all had them. These moments help shape us and they help us shape others, too. In one of my favorite TED Talks, Drew Dudley refers to moments of impact as “lollipop moments.” Check out the excerpt from his talk below and when you have time, go out and watch his full talk entitled Leading with Lollipops.
Let me tell you a story about a few “lollipop moments” I’ve had in my life.
I grew up on an Indian reservation in the middle of nowhere South Dakota. Thanks to my wonderful family who always encouraged me to dream about a life beyond what I saw every day, I always knew I wanted to go to college. And then one day when I was 12 years old, I knew exactly where.
When I was in sixth grade, I attended the regional science fair at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. I was captivated from the second I stepped foot on that campus. I met staff members from several departments, learned about the awesome things being done on campus, and saw so many opportunities for me to start building the life I wanted.
During the bus ride home, I studied the university's admissions materials and decided I would make every possible effort to get the grades and test scores I needed to attend the School of Mines. My life had been changed by just a few interactions with staff members who were simply having casual conversations with a visiting sixth grader.
They were moments of impact.
Fast forward to the spring semester of my junior year of high school. THE LETTER came in the mail. You know, the letter that said, “Welcome to the Hardrocker family!” I was so excited when it was delivered, I yelled at my mom through the bathroom door when she was taking a shower and didn’t realize until way later that I had been accepted for the fall semester of my senior year, because I had sent in my application so early. After I called the admissions office and requested a new letter with the correct start date, I started to spread the good news to anyone who would listen to me (and probably to several people who didn’t really care to listen to me, but I forced them to anyway).
And then one day, the inevitable negativity that blankets reservation life hit me square in the face. A staff member at the local tribal college said I would never make it at the School of Mines. He said I should stay home and take classes at the tribal college for a couple years and then maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a slight chance of getting a degree away from home. But probably not at Mines, because it was a tough school. I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me I can’t do something, I go out and prove them wrong.
Another moment of impact.
That one statement stuck in the back of my head and would creep out anytime I struggled in class. I pushed myself to study when I was exhausted from working a full-time job. I pushed myself to get involved around campus to ensure I became a well-rounded professional. I pushed myself to get that diploma. And then I did it all over again when I went on to grad school.
We often reflect on how these moments have impacted our own lives, but how often do you look back and think about how YOUR actions have impacted others?
When I was addressing the invitations to my first college graduation, I decided to send one back to the fellow who once said I wasn’t going to make it at Mines. I didn’t send it to him to brag that I actually did it (okay, maybe to brag a little bit), but I really just wanted to show him that it was possible for a young woman who grew up on the reservation to graduate from an academically-challenging university. I hoped it would help him start having a little faith in people and offer words of encouragement instead of immediately shooting them down.
Three years ago, while working as a staff member at my beloved alma mater, I was appointed the new director of the regional science fair. The very same fair that brought me to campus as a sixth grader and changed my life. Fast forward a couple months to when I returned home mentally and physically exhausted after my first fair as director and my husband says to me, “Just think, some little sixth grader is going to college because of the work you did today.” And cue the happy tears (mixed in with a few tired tears, I’m sure).
More moments of impact.
Each and every day we are given the opportunity to make an impact on others. So be mindful not only of the moments that have impacted your life, but also how your actions can impact others. You never know when you might be changing someone’s life.
