Breaking My Own Rules in Public

 

 

I’m not gonna lie.

I was kind of horrified.

You know how sometimes you realize you’re doing something that you didn’t even realize you were doing?

Well that’s exactly what happened to me.

This was definitely one of those times.

I wasn’t smiling then.

 

What You Have to Know – First Thing’s First 

 

I listen to podcasts.

Always have.

And I do it all the time.

Instead of listening to the radio these days, I do it when I’m in the car by myself, while I clean or cook and on walks, of course (on the days when you can take them outside).

There are several business ones, including my biz coach’s podcast, that I follow religiously.

There are others that have to do with health and weight loss and well-being.

And a whole host of other ones that somebody pointed out to me as a good resource for something we might have had a conversation about.

 

Back to the Story

 

So I was listening to one of these podcasts one day – and if you’ve ever done this, you know that at the end of one episode, the next thing in line starts playing.

So as the next thing starts – all of a sudden I hear it.

I hear my own voice, yelling no less.

Talk about being caught off guard.

Now, you might be wondering why I would be yelling and why I’d be doing that on a podcast, of all places.

Without my knowing about it!!!

I don’t have a podcast for my business, afterall [yet:-)]

But that’s neither here nor there.

Me Breaking My Own Rules – What You Also Have to Know

 

I am on a team at our church that reads Scripture every week.

It’s a group of, oh, I don’t know, 10-12 of us.

And I’m one of those people.

Right before the sermon starts, one of us walks up and reads the appropriate passage from the Bible for that day.

Here’s the kicker —

What I had NEVER realized, is that the Scripture reading is recorded ALONG WITH with the sermon and gets put on our Church’s podcast every week.

(And I’d been doing this for – 2-3 years now… don’t ask)

So, none of that would be so bad, except for the yelling part.

 

Breaking My Own Rules – Why Am I Yelling (What You Must Know Part Three & Four)

 

If you know me, I’m rather soft spoken, quiet even.

I don’t typically make a lot of noise.

I’m the girl that when ordering at a restaurant or coffee shop get the follow-up question of, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t quite get that, can you say that again, please?’ from the barista.

Even when I’m happy and celebrating, my happy and celebrating is more on the inside than on the outside of me.

One more thing.

The last thing that plays into this is this.

In terms of where it falls in the service, the reading typically happens after the Giving and Receiving of Peace.

It’s the time in our service where people shake hands, often times forgetting that it’s not supposed to be a 5-minute conversation.

So as I am standing there, at times, I am the one trying to get their attention, redirecting everyone back to the next part of the service.

Sometimes talking over hundred and fifty people that are gathered.

So it seems.

But I never realized, until this time, hearing my own voice – that I’m actually  yelling.

In my head, I put on my ‘stern, speaking-to-a-bunch-of-people-in-public’ voice.

Right?

Making sure that everyone hears me all the way to the back of the room.

That voice.

 

Breaking My Own Rules – The HORRIFIED, EXPLAINED & MY RESOLUTION

 

Now, about the horrified part.

As you know, what I do in my day-to-day work is the EXACT opposite.

I tell people not to yell for a living.

I teach married couples how to talk to one another without raising their voices.

I show them how NOT to meet each other at the highest level of volume possible.

And that still stands to be the case – because it truly never serves us to meet our spouse at a 10 if they are at a 10 out of 10.

Rising to their level of noise, or their level of frustration or anger does not get us the thing that we’re after.

Contrary to common belief, it doesn’t even help them listen to us better.

So here I stand, owning that I’m breaking my own rules – though without realizing it – and I’m determined to stop.

We have recently received the reading schedule for the upcoming quarter.

And you can take a guess what I will NOT be doing going forward. 🙂

No matter how many people are still talking, no matter how much time seems to have passed, no matter how long it seems to be taking for everyone to settle down.

In fact, I might try the opposite approach.

Heard of that one too.

Maybe you have also.

One where, instead of raising your voice – and people do this with their little ones a lot – you come down to their level and start whispering.

I might try that. 🙂

I’ll let you know how it goes.