BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT
Like it does every four years, the World Cup is dominating international headlines as countries from around the globe compete for soccer’s top prize. The U.S. team is even making some noise in this year’s tournament, advancing to the knockout round of 16 after failing to even qualify for the event four years ago.
One of the biggest storylines this year has come from Japan, who's shocked the soccer world by upsetting favorites Germany and Spain in the last week. But it’s not just what the Japanese are doing on the field that’s garnered some attention. It’s what they’ve done off the field, too.
Japanese fans have made headlines for their winning behavior - not during the games, but after. Once each of their team’s matches have ended, win or lose, Japanese fans stick around and clean up trash left in the stands. The Japanese Football Association has even supplied small blue trash bags to help with the effort. In reality, this type of behavior is nothing new for the Japanese. It’s a concept engrained from an early age, a simple cultural custom: leave it better than you found it. “Nobody in Japan would report on this,” journalist Midori Mayama said of her countrymen's efforts to clean up. “All of this is so normal.”
Normal, perhaps, in Japan. But the attention this behavior has garnered is evidence that in many places around the world - maybe most notably here in America - it’s not normal. In some ways it serves as an indictment on the selfishness and laziness of our culture. Sadly here at home, doing what champions do - leaving wherever you are in better shape than you found it - seems almost odd or out of place.
So while those in Japan view this winning behavior simply as an everyday responsibility, making this choice for us is more like a unique opportunity. In fact, whatever it is you’re doing today, your commitment to leaving it better than you found it will probably set you apart. In a culture that's conditioned us to be selfish and lazy, I want to challenge you today to be different. To recognize the ways you can maximize your impact, and to help others see that this place is different - better - because you were here. Here are three simple ways you can leave wherever you are today better than you found it:
1) Better by how it looks. Just like the Japanese, making a difference might simply mean picking up the trash. Cleaning up your mess and taking care of your space is evidence of your discipline and humility. Leaving it for someone else to clean up is evidence of your selfishness and laziness. If you want to take your performance to an even higher level, don't just clean up your own mess. Pick up the trash that doesn’t belong to you, too. It takes a little extra effort, but it’s a clear message to everyone who shows up after you, that to you even the little things are important.
2) Better by how it feels. Each one of us brings an attitude and an energy with us every day. Our spirit is contagious, and it resonates with the people around us even after we’re gone. The truth is, showing up with positivity and enthusiasm isn’t always easy. Some days you just don’t feel like it. But making the choice to bring your best anyways is proof that you care more about what your team needs from you than how it is you feel, and proof that you recognize that your attitude and energy make a lasting impact - not just on you, but on everyone else, too.
3) Better by how it sounds. Some of the biggest difference makers we have at our disposal are the words we choose to speak. You’ve probably experienced for yourself the negative impact of people who are constantly looking for something or someone to complain about, to criticize, or to blame. It’s like verbal trash they are leaving behind wherever they go. That’s why it’s so important to be an encourager, to support and uplift the people around you. Your words have the power to make someone’s day, to bring out the best in them, and maybe even clean up the garbage someone else left in their space before you arrived.
Making the conscious commitment to leave it better than you found it isn’t easy. Doing what champions do rarely is. But your winning behavior does make a difference, and you never know how it might inspire others to do the same. At the World Cup that’s exactly what’s happened, as evidenced by the New York Times article, “Cheer, Chant, Clean: Japan Takes Out the Trash, and Others Get the Hint.” The Japanese fans set the bar for winning behavior at the World Cup, and soon others followed suit. You have a similar opportunity where you are today. So maximize your impact, even if in our culture, that makes you odd or out of place. Make the extra effort to prove that this place is different - better - because you were here. And who knows? It might encourage others to do the same.