Lessons from a stranger!

No way I could begin this post without thanking you for your comments and encouragement on my post yesterday!!! Touched me SO much! Y'all are just the best!!!! Love this community!!

Thank you, Thank you!!

Okay, so I wanted to share something with you that happened to me last week!

Last Friday I had the opportunity to volunteer at a local Orlando Christian radio station to help with their sharathon. They are totally listener supported. So each year they have a Fall sharathon to raise money for the upcoming budget for the next year. I helped with answering the phones to take the pledges.

It was such an honor to spend the day helping keep the message of Jesus alive and well on the airwaves! And it was just an added bonus that they feed you, ha!

Well, this one gentleman called the first time and in the midst of giving his pledge he got disconnected and had to call back. The next time he called he got me. I was in the middle of taking his call and he stopped me and was like “Why don’t you sound more excited? The lady I spoke with the first time sounded like she was all excited and I’m having a bad day and talking to her picked me up, but then I talk to you and it brought me down again. You sound like you are just going through the motions.”

This totally took me by surprise and I was taken back. I really didn’t know how to respond other than to assure the man I didn’t try to come across that way and I was sorry if I had and I was very pleasant with him!

I was also trying to let him know that because his following call didn’t go through to give the pledge the first time that we’d have to go through the process all over again. And I think between his frustration of that and me apparently not sounding excited enough, he hung up on me.

Now getting the phone hung up on you can crush a spirit, can it not?

Honestly, it made me feel crappy!!

After this whole incident, I tried to see what I could learn from this scenario.

I gathered two conclusions from this:

First, you never know what someone is going through and what kind of day they are having, so you can’t automatically jump on the defensive. Some people just need a voice of encouragement on the other line or an “excited” voice in this case.

And secondly, he brought up a good point. How many times do we find ourselves in life just simply going through the motions? If you could see me right now, you’d see me raising my hand!

I say all this to tell you, use your excited voice today, never know who might be on the other line! :)

Have to keep it all in perspective.

And at the end of the day, a complete stranger taught me a couple of lessons!