Twenty-six of the greatest lessons I was ever taught.

This is a chapter from The ABCs of Dan M. Wilson.

Everyone you know, everything you like, and everything you don’t was influenced by something beforehand. The songs on your iPod? Each artist that recorded them was influenced by an artist before them. Your favorite video game? TV show? Movie? Unoriginal. Each drew its inspiration from something that came before it. The contents of this book were entirely brought about due to the influence my father had on me while growing up. The results of influence are all around you.

Influence is a very powerful catalyst. Even more powerful are those people who realize they are influential and can wield this power for a positive purpose.

Grandpa Dan was a natural born leader. Fortunately for those around him and those whom he served, he never once let it go to his head. Being well aware of the positions he was in – be it as someone’s boss, as a board member of a committee, or even as mayor of Excelsior Springs – your grandfather knew to use the power that he had been entrusted with for the betterment of everyone else.

As I talked about in the previous chapter regarding honor, Grandpa Dan was well aware that he had many eyes upon him. When I was elected Student Council President before my senior year of high school, he was very proud of my accomplishments. I remember him pulling me aside and telling me the following:

“Those kids look up to you, Kenny Mike. You’re in a position to set a good example. Don’t squander it.”

Using Dad as my influence, I set about to make positive change within my school. Sparing you the tumultuous details of everything that went down during my tenure in that role, in certain people’s eyes I squandered my great opportunity and graduated high school without a single scholarship to my name. But in the eyes of Grandma Pat and Grandpa Dan, I had achieved a level of success unlike they’d ever seen me reach.

I influenced people…a lot of people. Students that had never raised their voice to speak out against something were suddenly energized and dialogues were started. Kids that had been kicked around for years suddenly felt empowered. People who rarely cracked open books were doing so. We all had a common purpose – and I was the catalyst.

You’re in a position to set a good example. Don’t squander it.

My goal was simple. Our principal was an unjust man. He wielded his power selfishly and unfairly. Teachers would not stand up to him. Students were systematically made to feel like trash around him. I took him on with the intention of getting him removed from his job. In the next chapter, I’ll touch on some of the lessons I learned from this experience. At the end of my senior year I had lost that battle…but not the war.

I found out that near the end of the year, my principal’s job had been brought into question by members of the School Board, with whom I had talked to at length. In the end, that bastard managed to keep his job by a single vote.

My senior yearbook has an ad placed in it from Mom and Dad. It reads: “Kenny – Congratulations on 11 years of great grades and accomplishments. We’re sorry your senior year turned out to be such a nightmare. We are proud of you for sticking to your guns and know that you’ll bounce back next year in college. Love, Mom and Dad.”

The year after I graduated, more students had caught my bug and carried on my fight. A woman I had dated during my senior year was leading the charge and waged her battle by use of the student newspaper. As more and more issues came to light on how the principal was misusing his power and influence over the student body, another vote was raised. This time he was reprimanded and subsequently fired. My war had ended…and justice had been served.

It’s still amazing to me to think that I had influenced that many students to stand up for themselves. There’s no telling how it’s had an impact on their lives since.

Grandpa Dan opened my eyes to the power of positive influence years before my senior year of high school. It took me winning the top position in a popularity contest to unleash what I was capable of in that realm. During that brief run in that role I was able to show the students, the faculty, and the School Board exactly the type of influence that my parents had had on me. And justice was served.

As you make your way through life, you’ll also find yourself in positions where you can easily influence others. You never know who is watching you looking for an example on how to conduct themselves. Do your best when in these situations as it’s the truest test to convey to the world that with which you are made.