Observation

Yesterday, I saw someone do something that really irks me.

I was driving behind a car when the person yeeted (do we still use that word?) a piece of rubbish out of their window and into the surrounding bush.

It infuriated me.

And it triggered a conversation between myself and a friend who was riding with me.

How, oh how, can we fix this issue?

Is it cultural?

Is it learned behavior?

Or is it simply a default that needs to be trained out of people?

My friend had an interesting point of view: Observation.

He said he believed a lot of people in our environment have never had the chance to observe pristine spaces: places where such behavior would be frowned upon.

They’ve never had good examples to follow.

So… nurture, but not exactly.

Our conversation got cut short, but it got me thinking:

What example am I setting?

What am I teaching the people who are watching me?

And more importantly, should I be teaching at all?

That sounds like a whole lot of pressure.

What about my freedom?

I’m still thinking about it, but here’s one conclusion I’ve come to:

👉 It is an inevitable truth that those around you will pick things up from you, especially if you have some sort of authority, visibility, or seniority.

That brings pressure, yes.

But it also brings opportunity.

The opportunity to guide others by example, in specific, deliberate ways.

It also brings an opportunity to check myself.

What do I want others to pick up from my actions?

Here are a few I’ve decided on for myself:

• I want others to be punctual.
• I want others to be kind.
• I want others to be guided by love.
• I want others to communicate clearly.
• I want others to respect the environment and not litter 😂

What about you?

What are some of the things you want to model for others?