"This I Believe" - JP Kerrane, Dawson Summer Initiative
Channel: JP Kerrane
Date: 2020-06-09

Inspired by thisibelieve.org, made during the Dawson Summer Initiative 2 Week Leadership Session.

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My name is JP Kerrane, and I believe that a smile makes all the difference. Teeth or no teeth, to a stranger or to a best friend, a smile is the tipping point for everything good in the world.

Our world needs more smiles. Surrounded by fear, hate, or dread, a smile can fizzle confrontations, ignite friendships, and open doors.

I've learned to give smiles unconditionally. A smile shows someone that I care about them. That I am listening to them. 

I am showing someone that I believe their life, their words, and their actions have value. 

On the gloomiest days, it is even more important to keep smiling. I've noticed that smiling can calm me down, and give me the courage to get through the day. This smile, the act that anyone can share with others, benefits everyone. 

Through school’s group projects, clubs, and other extracurriculars, I am required to present a lot. When I am in front of a crowd of people, my stomach is turning. It feels like my heart is pulsing in my head, my chest, and my stomach at the same time. 

I know I shouldn't be worried, but an irrational fear weighs over me. Ahead, my peers look on, ready for what I am about to say. I freeze. What passes as milliseconds feels like hours. Suddenly, everything that could go wrong, or everything that I could forget to say is apparent. The positions of my arms, if I'm moving my hands too much or too little, if I need to scratch my nose or my head, cloud my thoughts. 

When I feel my breaths quickening, or my butterflies twirling, I smile.  Looking out into the crowd, my one smile is met with a sea of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, I can start. 

This smile makes all the difference. I am ready, confident, and energized for what is to come.

This has had a long term effect on me. I've learned to love presentations and look forward to them. Actively smiling has changed my behavior, and has shaped my experiences in more ways than I could've imagined.

It doesn't matter if I am smiling at myself in the mirror, to an interviewer for a job, or a stranger on the street. A smile can make all the difference in my day, and in my life.