I walk into the cafeteria at 7:30 AM and make my way to the microwave, taking a tupperware container out of my lunch box. I look around the lunch room–I see people eating donuts, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches. What do I have? Chicken. The microwave beeps and I take my container back to my seat.

Why would I opt to eat grilled chicken this early in the morning? I am a powerlifter, so I need to make sure that I consume enough protein throughout the day. Also, since I have a late free period, I need to eat a nourishing meal between my 6:00 AM breakfast and 1:00 PM lunch so I can focus during class.

At first, I thought that the other students would judge my eating habits with disdain. However, they genuinely inquired as to why I would want to eat chicken this early. Some friends admired the practice, but others still viewed it as gross. One day, I went to the microwave and saw that my friend John, a swimmer, was already using it. To my surprise, when the timer hit zero, he pulled out a tupperware container full of chicken! He realized that although eating chicken in the morning is out of the ordinary, it would make him a better student and a better athlete. I felt honored that another person would use my ideas.

I am a leader by example. If I believe that something will make me better, I do it no matter how out of the ordinary it is. One simple act of eating chicken in the morning influenced another student to improve his own eating habits. I was responsible for improving someone else’s nutrition as well as my own.