What's Your Lollipop Moment?

Sep 15

Inspiration is everywhere.

From TED Talks, podcasts and books to a song, a conversation with a friend, a quote, a painting, or something beautiful in nature, we are surrounded by inspiration every day. Most of us are so busy running on autopilot that we miss the opportunity to be inspired and to let those things affect us and impact us.

I’ve listened to dozens of TED Talks over the years. They inspire me, challenge me to think differently, and expose me to new ways of existing in the world. Now, more than ever, we would all be better off if we were more open to learning from other people's perspectives and experiences.

Six years ago, I was inspired to share this story on my blog at the time after listening to a 6-minute TED Talk during a morning walk. Then, last week, while I was on a Humans First call, I was reminded of the video when Jenny Lai mentioned it.

This particular TED Talk by Drew Dudley was only 6 minutes and 14 seconds long, but it had a major impact on me. It prompted me to reach out to someone who has positively impacted my life. I hope it inspires you to do the same.

The premise?

Each of us has the power to be a leader, to change someone else’s life.

Drew shared a story of what happened when he went out of his way to make a new student at his university feel welcomed. The lasting, lifetime impact that his simple, brief action had on this woman’s life was remarkable (even though he admits he'd forgotten about it until she reminded him!).

Here’s the TED Talk. This will be the most well spent six minutes of your day.

At the end of the talk, Drew asks the audience:

“What’s your lollipop moment?”

Who in your life has influenced or impacted you in a way that changed your life, your perspective, your career, your health, the way you see the world?

Have you let them know?

I’ve had the privilege of being mentored by some remarkable people throughout my school years and in my career.

One person in particular stands out to me. I met her in college.

I was a sophomore majoring in psychology and had enrolled in an Intro to Sociology course because I'd heard good things about the professor, Dr. Lauren Dundes.

I looked forward to going to her class every week. She made learning fun and interesting. I loved her quirky and energetic demeanor, her animated facial expressions and gestures, and all of the stories she recounted and used as learning tools. I hardly remember her looking at notes or a textbook. She knew her subject matter so well.

My Lollipop Moment

One day in class, Dr. Dundes was telling us a story about social perceptions, and she held up something that would forever change my path in the field of nutrition and human behavior.

It was a copy of Nutrition Action Healthletter - not exactly prime reading material for most 19-year olds, but it was for me. In that moment, I felt seen.

After class, I approached her: “I get that newsletter, too!” That conversation sparked our realization that we had a mutual interest in health and nutrition. It was the beginning of my pursuit of health as a career.

Over the next three years, she supported me in setting up three research studies and writing three papers that were published in academic journals. She arranged for me to speak at the Eastern Sociological Society Conference in New York City as a sophomore in college. Little did I know that the seeds that were planted then would evolve into a full-time career as a speaker.

For one of the studies we conducted together, we were assessing perceptions around eating behaviors. My school, McDaniel College, even wrote an article about us in the school’s publication called The Hill magazine…including our semi-goofy pic below.

I had the passion and the tenacity to “go for it” but only because I had the support, enthusiasm, and passion from Dr. Dundes.

I had never really reflected on the impact she had on my life until hearing that 6-minute TED Talk. Doing so makes me realize just how special people who believe in us and what we can accomplish are.

Dr. Dundes and I have stayed in touch over the years and are friends on Facebook and connected here on LinkedIn. She's been an avid supporter of my work and my former blog and has told me how information I’ve shared has positively impacted her life and her family. She wrote a recommendation letter for me recently for an award I was nominated for. I'm heading back to campus to speak to her two Senior capstone courses in a few weeks.

In appreciation for someone who took time to make a difference in my life, my career, and my well-being, here is a tribute to this special person:

Dr. Dundes,

Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for making me feel like my interests and passions mattered.

Thank you for the hours you spent talking with me in your office, reviewing and editing yet another draft of a publication and encouraging me to do big things with my life.

You made me feel like I could do anything, that there was nothing stopping me.

Thank you for seeing something special in me and for nurturing it.

I know that this passion for health and nutrition has been in me since grade school, but without the support and encouragement of someone like you, I don’t know that my path would have gone the direction it did.

Many of us live our whole lives never knowing how profoundly we have impacted another person.

I thought you should know.

Thank you,

Rachel