The Wonder of People

I was hoping that I would have a video of the speech I gave to the rotary today to put in this post. After all, I thought, this will be the third time I give it and it should be the best.

Well, I wouldn't say it was the best.  And I forgot the camera.  Not at home, but at work.  Bummer, because I would really have liked to review it to see if I was talking as fast as I thought I was, among other things.

But that's all I'm going to say about the speech- it went well but it certainly could have gone better.  I don't blame myself for that- given all that was going on yesterday I didn't have much time to go over it and I hadn't given it in over a month.

Somehow though, I learned so much from going to that Rotary meeting, and even though life has been rough lately, I walked out feeling like I had the world on a string.  So here's what happened:

I went into the building just before the meeting started, and as usual went through the awkward before-people-get-their-meal part of the meeting when everyone is connecting with old friends and I am obviously an outsider.  That didn't last long however, as soon as I got my food and sat down, John Klapperich came up to me.

I don't know if this man has ever met me.  He acted like we'd been friends for years, but that could be just his personality.  Anyway, he comes over and introduces himself and says things like, "Rachel!  Superstar Rachel! Can I please sit next to you?"  So I promised him I'd save him a seat, and he went to get his food.  When he came back he talked to me about myself.  But it didn't end there.  One by one, Mr. Klapperich connected with every person at the table.  It was like watching a video of the leadership books I've been reading- Mr. Klapperich totally follows the thirty-second rule (Maxwell writes whenever you meet someone you should say something nice about them within the first 30 seconds of your conversation).  Literally, the dialog went like this:

 "Rachel, I am so excited you're here, I've been looking forward to hearing you speak today."

"Linda, at work I was reading about charity events, and I noticed your business was a sponsor for almost all of them.  Your name was everywhere and I thought, 'she really is a good person.' "

"Mike, over here, sit by me!  I know you have to eat quickly to start the meeting, can I pour your water?"

And on and on he went, addressing each person at our table.  I had been feeling a little nervous earlier, but he made me feel completely comfortable, and I thought, What a nice guy.

It didn't end there though.  At Wasilla Rotary they have an "inspirational moment," which I think is kind of like a seminary devotional of sorts.  The gentlemen who gave it was named David, and he's actually the guy that helped line me up to speak at the Wasilla Rotary in the first place.  I wish now I knew his last name...I think it's Johnson.

So David gets up and says that the people in Rotary are his inspiration, and then begins naming a few names of people and why they inspire him.  I thought he'd pick out a few of the well-known members...but he didn't do that at all.  He went through every table and named every member and guest by first name, then added why they inspired him. Every person in the room.  I was floored.

While announcements were going on and before my speech, Mr. Klapperich handed me 15 out of the 20 split the pot tickets he had purchased.  I didn't know what to say.  Then he silently filled up my empty water glass.

The time of the meeting came around for me to give my speech, and it was a little rough.  But by the crowd's reaction, you would have thought I had just solved the world's hunger crisis.  As soon as I finished, Mr. Klapperich all but yelled, "She's got my vote!"

I sat down and they did the drawing for the split the pot, and none of my fifteen tickets were chosen.  No sooner were the winning numbers announced than I heard a woman I've never met say, "I'm donating it to the Rachel Kenley Campaign Fund."

Just so there's no confusion- I definitely do not have a campaign fund.  And I tried to refuse the money, but of course she wouldn't let me.  So I'm very grateful to this woman (whose name I never got) for her $40 contribution to success.  It will pay for 40% of my tuition for a training weekend I'm going to attend.

After the split the pot came Happy Bucks. If you've never been to a Rotary meeting, Happy Bucks is the section of the meeting where people can express something that makes them happy and donate money to the club.  Almost everyone who stood up donated a happy buck because of my mediocre speech.  Their comments were so uplifting and encouraging.  Here are a few of my favorites (paraphrased, because I don't have an impeccable memory):

"Rachel, your speech inspired me and I can't wait to see where you are in ten years.  I hope you'll come back and share with us the rest of your adventure."

"I so enjoyed Rachel's speech, and she reminded me that as I'm starting a new business, the challenges will make it successful, because we learn by making mistakes."

"For two years of my life I lived in Enterprise, Alabama, and I know the story of the monument to the boll weevil.  I loved the way you included it in your speech."

"My father was a cotton and a soybean farmer in the south, so I understand how hard the transition was.  Thank you for the speech.  You are a truly beautiful speaker and I wish you the best of luck."

And this last one was great- no offense to the other candidates of course:
"I say, those other 51 candidates should be scared."

I have never received so much praise concentrated on me at one time in my life.  I wanted to cry out, "Stop, stop, my head will inflate and explode!"  But honestly, it felt so good.  I felt like these random strangers really believed in me- so I could believe in myself.  They showed me so much kindness.

After the meeting was over, Mr. Klapperich asked me how he could help me, and offered to do an interview with me on his radio station.  Then he asked me more about the selection process, and finally asked me a two-fold question:  "Why do you want to be a National Officer?  What skills do you have that would make you successful in this position?"

My stomach flipped over as I thought, this is it.  This is the question, the 'why are you running for National Office question!  And I said, "I think I would be a great National Officer because I have good communication skills.  I've always been able to talk to people easily and I want to use that skill to connect with other members.  And I want to be a National Officer because I feel like I have been blessed by so many National Officers in my own life.  They have inspired me and helped me to become the person I am today.  And I feel that since I have the skills and opportunity to become a National Officer, I have a responsibility to turn around and be a role model- to do for younger FFA members what was done for me."

Then Mr. Klapperich said, "Kid, I'll see you at the top, and I mean the top!"

Even though my speech wasn't flawless today, I walked out of that meeting feeling, well, like John C. Maxwell puts it, like a million bucks.  The members of that Rotary club made me feel like a million bucks.  And they reminded me why I'm putting all this time into studying- it's not to know every fact about FFA history, or to be able to memorize a perfect and polished speech- it's to connect with others and to serve them.

So thanks, Wasilla Rotary, for being living examples of who I want to be.  You made my day fantastic.
Rachel