Megaphoning Part 2

Kind of a funny thing just happened. I was at a meeting for church Michael's mom (Michael went on the Mississippi trip) told me one of the greatest things. Michael said:

"Tom's so great. He really makes people feel good about themselves."

Or something like that.

That got me thinking that I should really talk a little bit more about megaphoning (see my other post on Megaphoning). For all I know I just won't be able to explain it well enough in a blog. I know there will be some people who just have a hard time with it. But if I can get just one other person to start megaphoning for others it'd make my year.

The most important aspect of this is to be positive all the time when looking at others. This is also probably the hardest to actually do.

Look at each individual and recognize them for who they are. Be completely honest with yourself on that person. It makes no sense to tell the shyest person in class that they have more friends than anyone you know. Just look at what that person does and see the positive ways it impacts others.

For example, I know one person who is pretty strong and really gets along great with other guys. You know what I mean, loves to talk about cars and build things. At the same time he is completely unaware of people and objects around him. In one case during the trip he threw some stuff on a pile right next to someone else. Ended up putting a pretty big scratch right under the eye of the person standing across from him.

First off is making sure the hurt person is ok and building him back up. We gave him the nickname of "scarface" which still seems to be sticking. After that I still talked up the guy, mentioning that he can lift all kinds of big, unwieldy objects. Or just joking and saying that he's a man's man, doesn't need help from anyone. Maybe telling him one on one that you know he didn’t mean to do it, and that I do love him as the person he is.

If it's said with a great smile on your face people will realize the truth in there and learn from it. But they'll also smile with everyone else and feel kind of good about themselves because they were recognized for making an effort.

Another thing to do is to really stop looking inside and take notice of the world around you. Look around you and see the beauty that is God's earth and his people.

One thing I noticed in Dave and Amber during our first day working was their commitment to getting the job done. While some people took breaks and just hung out they just kept working. At one point we had to move a bunch of the owner's valuables from one slide of her slab to another. Everyone helped for a while but it seemed to become uninteresting. Soon it was just about 5 or 6 people moving things and others wandering off to find other jobs.

Or Michael that same time. The owner asked us to move some of the things which weren't hers to the neighbor's slab. There was a lot of stuff and it took him a while since no one else volunteered to help. But he just kept at it until everyone was moved (I think it took over an hour).

It's so easy to think that the work was meaningless, that anyone could have done it. Some people would have grumbled about doing it initially. We need to look past those negative things. They have a place, but should not be voiced publicly (if it's worth mentioning, criticism should initially be given in private).

What was worth focusing on was the commitment they had to the task. We'd pass each-other and just smile. Or talk about some of the belongings we were moving (mentioning that I had or wanted something just like that). Or simply telling Michael that while it may be taking forever, I really appreciate that he did it and followed it through when so many others wouldn't.

With all that destruction around us, it felt so good to find the positive things going on as well. To see Rob and his dad using chainsaws to cut trees. Seeing 15 of us pushing together to right a shed. Seeing 5 others cleaning up the insulation and pine needles from the yard (truly not the most glamorous job). Or even Abby and her group that stuck around for 3 hours at a house where they didn't feel needed when she picked up a broom and cleared out insulation without being asked.

The last bit is initially the hardest to do. But it's also the most fun. It's all about being vocal. You don't have to shout out to everyone how great that one person is (though I sure do shout a lot). It's sometimes enough to just say to Amber "What, you're only carrying ONE board this time". It's also fun to loudly shout to anyone around that Dave, Amber and I didn't need help lifting a fence with concrete because I had the two strongest people there with me.

It's also something as simple as making a fool of yourself with someone. When Amber had a blue mouth from a lollipop (no, not a blue tongue. I mean a blue tongue, lips and teeth). Dave said it looked like she was turning into a Smurf from the inside out. Then I grabbed one and got to look like weird as well (but then I always look like a bit of a weirdo).

So, how about it? I'd love to hear how you've been someone's megaphone. How have you amplified someone's good feelings and made them even better? How have you built someone up?

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

posted by Tom at 9:27 PM