Small stories, big impact

A sentence usually has three parts, a subject, verb and a noun. The subject does something to a noun; making a sentence the purest form of doing something. Describing something as doing unto another things is simple enough, but when you think of it introspectively, it becomes a little harder.

What have I done unto something else? Adding meaning and complexity to the action makes you think about your strengths.

I know what my strengths are. Though a person can’t be defined in just three, my top are as follows:

I’m empathetic, sometimes to a fault.

I’m hardworking, also sometimes to a fault.

And I enjoy sharing experience.

Daniel Pink’s, Drive, asks a simple question, “what’s my sentence?” How would I sum up my personal strengths and accomplishments in a single sentence? At this point in time, I know that my strengths lie in writing. An important part of my brand is a journalist, relaying information to those who need it most at its most basic definition. My core expertise lies in my ability to share stories with others.

As an identity, I’m unapologetically queer and I learn more about what that means each day. Additionally, I’m a son, a brother, a student, a learner, a reader and a friend. In all these areas, I am still queer. I’m still queer when I do the dishes for my roommate or when I stop for a coffee before heading to class. I’m still queer as I brush my teeth before bed. And I’m still queer when I make new connections to people around me. There aren’t many other identities that stick with you like that; it’s distinctly integral.

            I’m still hardworking when I scroll Twitter for too long but there’s a break at that moment. I’m still empathetic when I don’t make a new connection one day, but there’s a break at that moment.

            How does this translate to an audience though? If I am an empathetic, hardworking, experience-sharing queer person, then I can be a voice for those who feel underrepresented. The person I’m becoming is someone who works with people, emphatically queer people, to help them grow into a person to love.

            My sentence, with a little more than a subject, verb and noun sounds something like this:

I am an experience based queer person, rooted in the small stories of life that humanize and enrich us.