Why You Should Disobey Mom and Talk to Strangers

“What’s your story? Begin with when you were a kid and where you grew up.” I inherited something strange perhaps from my father that I’ve come to love. Being able to talk to complete strangers about life, what they’ve seen, who they’ve been with, and where they come from helps me learn more about the world around me both big and small. This trait to talk to others — maybe get into their business a little more than it makes them comfortable — has helped me in the past to build professional connections and meet people that can give me access to some pretty neat things. For example, as a volunteer with my fraternity, I met a top basketball recruit that played as a rival of Shaquille O’Neal back in his high school years. Not in million years would I have guessed he played ball, nor would I have known how big Shaq really was in high school. From this conversation with a stranger, I gained a lot.

In another instance, after I was certain that I failed an exam, I sat down with a homeless man on Wisconsin Avenue to discuss what my life had felt like and how this gentleman could compare. My day was instantly shifted from feeling down because I found some common ground with him that had to do with the military and what my girlfriend was interested in doing before she attended college. Being able to relate to a stranger is empowering to me. From strangers, you can be inspired by their ideas and dive into stories that you wouldn’t have heard if you passed them up walking back from a failed exam.

One day when I was working out, I met a man named Uriah Jones. Uriah grew up in the Atlanta area and to my surprise was a better hockey player than he was a basketball player. I went up to Uriah originally to ask about all of his authentic NBA gear and NHL equipment. We of course played a little basketball though and he gave me some tips on how I could improve as a player a while after I discovered he was the equipment manager for the Chicago Bulls. I’ve stayed in touch with Uriah who now works for the reigning Champion Chicago Blackhawks for equipment as well. While I am still pestering him for gear from the Hawks and Bulls (free tickets would also be great, but my chances at these will forever be slim), I was able to greet him at a Bulls game a few years ago and take a picture on-court. At this time at the game, I found out that Uriah was helping nurture the (at the time) recent MVP Derrick Rose back to health after his injury and passes him the ball in warm-ups. Uriah had a very close friendship with Derrick and sometimes told me snippets of how his recovery was going. Oh the people you will meet from a small conversation starter…

If I could preach my message to a million people, it would be to approach a stranger today and ask where they’ve been. Ask these strangers what they’ve seen. Be curious to find out what they know and what makes them, them, today. We can learn so much from those around us. We can build some pretty sweet connections from strangers too. So, when mom says its okay — go ahead. Talk to strangers. It’ll be all the worth.