Go First
Some of the best speeches happen in unexpected places.
If you were to guess the school that hosted one of the most popular graduation speeches ever, Kenyon College wouldn't be at the top of the list.
Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised when I came across a gem of a talk given to... the Cal Poly Pomona Economics Club?
In this speech, Peter Kaufman describes walking into an elevator where there is one solitary stranger. He notes that if you smile and say good morning, "98 percent of the time the person will smile and say good morning back." But, he asks, "What do you get 98 percent of the time if you walk into an elevator and you do nothing from that stranger in the elevator? Nothing." Kaufman calls this "mirrored reciprocation."
Most people have a mountain of goodness to share if there is the right spark.
If we "go positive, go first," then the positivity won't end with the first good morning.
This is the second week in a row I have linked to something from Farnam Street. I highly recommend their newsletter.