Contagious Courtesy

We were involved in a sudden transition. Students were retrieving equipment from a storage area for the next activity. Although people were moving fast, I noticed a simple, courteous act. One of the high school students was looking out for a younger student. She was retrieving the equipment, and she saw one of the younger students without the equipment. Immediately, she went back into the equipment area, retrieved additional equipment, and passed it to the younger student.

Her actions were alert, kind, and courteous. She was watching out for a younger teammate. Teammates are important, and success comes from helping others in the team. However, the gracious situation did not stop at the point of transferring equipment.

The younger student stopped and looked directly at her. "Thank you," he said.

The high school student responded, "You are welcome."

It took almost no time for this interaction, and they were both on their way.

For some, this display of courtesy might seem non-important. I do not see it that way - it is important. I am happy to say I often see this type of behavior at our academy, but not as often outside of our school.

Polite people are impressive, and unfortunately, not as common as we might like. When people are courteous to others, it says a lot. If you want to be unique, be sincere and courteous. It is easy and takes little time and effort. By saying thank you and acknowledging that you appreciate someone else's actions, you are building a rapport with that person. For example, be courteous to the person who waits on you at a restaurant. Hold the door for others. Be courteous to the person taking your order at a drive-through window.

Consider the opposite of being courteous. Have you ever bought something at the store, and the person at the cash register made no eye contact and made no effort to thank you? While driving, have you ever delayed and intentionally left another driver into your lane, yet the person did not show any gratitude, a smile, or hand in the air to say thank you.   I have observed many people in public who are not courteous. They do not say thank you and make no effort to have a positive interaction. Besides being courteous to them, I do not directly try to teach strangers the art of courtesy. I understand that they may not have learned to be courteous. They might be having a bad day, or at the time, they might not care about interactions with others. I make every effort not to allow their actions to influence me - I do not care about their response to my courteous action.

However, with family and friends, you can teach courtesy. Demonstrate how easy it is to be courteous.  Be sincere and do not fake courtesy. Others will pick up insincerity. Even when a person is not courteous, be polite to them. We should all try to make courtesy contagious. In most situations, you will see positive results immediately. At times, because of your actions, other people will start being courteous.

Although it is simple, the rewards of courtesy are big. People notice. You will stand out from others, but the best reward is knowing that you are making an effort to be considerate. You will not need a trophy or medal for your behavior. Just be friendly and genuine; that is enough.

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