This is a story about Amy.
She was a huge introvert.
But she craved connection.
So one day, she was brave... and she got it.
A slightly awkward shoulder tap in a coffee shop (something she would normally NEVER, EVER do)...
Turned into one of the most special friendships she never even knew she needed.
You see - Amy couldn’t help but notice that there was a girl in her local coffee shop watching a video.
A video that just happened to be of her favorite old college professor, at NYU.
She has this weird gut feeling, that popped up for a hot 8 seconds and said… "go say hello to that person, go ask them about that video!"
And on this very special, out of the ordinary day… she did - and she gained a soul touching, co-working, pen-pal loving, dream chasing, friend for life.
That person she tapped on the shoulder was me… and I had just been praying for the exact same kind of connection.
I needed a mentor — a really honest, brilliant, real, down to have coffee and chat for hours — mentor, to help me write better. Turns out Amy is one of the most brilliant writers out there.
Amy’s very out of character shoulder tap reminded me to listen to your gut when it tells you to “say hello!”
That sometimes we should ACT, instead of reflect.
Sure, I usually tell people to "take a step back, breathe, meditate, empathize before you act.”
But not today, sister - because sometimes we get too deep in our heads, and we miss out on “living that moment.”
We let that 8 second window of bravery slip right by, because we think about it too much.
Then before you know it, you’ve created a habit of not doing little brave things throughout the day.
Like saying “good morning" to someone in the elevator, or asking “how’s your day” to that person in the Starbucks line… even though your gut is begging for you to “say hello.”
We throw our headphones in, put our head down, and let the moment pass us by.
Look up today.
See the person next to you, and ACT (wave hello, tell them you like their shoes, ask how their weekend was).
We have these insanely smart, intuitive guts - that were built for us to listen to.
Today is the day… listen to that spark of bravery - it usually comes and goes within 8 seconds.
When you feel it - embrace it.
But what if they don’t want to talk to you? What if they look at you like you're crazy?
What if they don’t? What if they think you’re rad and brave for doing that, and it inspires them to say hello to someone else today?
What if that person turns out to be the coolest new friend you’ve been looking for, or the HR manager for Google, or the person who just got the worst news of their life and could really, really use a friendly smile.
Be a “Daymaker” today.
Find bravery in 8 second moments.
Say hello.
xx,
Kelsey
