Making Stronger Connections

I'm Brian Martin, a second grade teacher who find so much joy and fulfillment in what I do. Being in the classroom for almost 20 years, I know all about the time, effort and energy that you are continuously pouring into those you serve. That's why each week, I'm going to bring you an inspiring message to give you a little joy, and help fill your cup back up. Thank you for being here. And welcome to the teaching champions podcast. What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. This episode is being released on the Fourth of July. So Happy Fourth everyone, hopefully, you're getting some good family time. And maybe out cookout, enjoying some fireworks or celebrating the day in your own way. Now we're going to continue with our summer series, where we're focusing on us. And since its independence day, I want to start the episode with a story from my days in the military. While in the military, I did a tour of duty in Iraq. And one day, we're meeting together with our whole company. And if we put that in school terms, that would be equivalent to basically having a whole school assembly. And my commanders talking to all of us. And he's calling several soldiers out and giving them special recognitions for so encouraged in the line of duty. And he calls my name. And I go out in front of the whole company and join the other handful of soldiers. And to be honest, I'm feeling pretty good right now. I puff out my chest a little bit. And the commander looks at me, he gives me a nod. And then he turns to the company and tells them why I'm getting this award. Now I grew up watching Rambo, and I used to run around the woods behind my house with a little toy weapon. So this meant a lot right here. While I'm listening to my commander speak, and he goes on to tell my company that I'm receiving this award. Because I'm always smiling. I'm always positive. I made people around me feel good, and overall, great for morale. Now listen, I'm thankful the commander thought of me in that way. But Rambo never received an award for smiling and making people feel good. And I like to joke that my biggest military achievement is winning the smile award, and high insight. We are who we are. And I'm blessed in my commander thought of me in that way. And this does tie into what we will be talking about today. But before I do dive into it, I just want to say thank you to all those who are serving right now. And to all the family members of those who are serving, you know, I get to go to a cookout today are hanging out with family, I'll have a few nice beverages. And I'm going to watch the fireworks because of your sacrifice. And it's not just the soldiers who sacrifice. It's the whole family. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I share that story of my shining military accomplishment. Because relationships matter. There's power and friendships and being able to connect with others. And this goes across the board, whether it's relationships we have with our students, the relationships that we have with our colleagues, and the relationships that we have with our family and friends. And a few years back, I wrote a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. And this book, it's sold over 30 million copies. It's been ranked as one of the most influential books of all time. And there's so many gems about how we can have strong and genuine connections with others. And I'm going to share with you five principles from Mr. Carnegie's teachings. And they're small things. They're not complicated, but they're impactful. And to be honest, if we're being completely honest about this, we don't always do the best job at these. And I know when I look in the mirror, I can tell you some days I try really hard to be good at these. But there are many moments When I fall flat, and a lot of this has to do with just thinking about other people, putting them first and truly caring about them as individuals. And if we make a conscious effort to really do these, whether it's in the classroom or out of it, you're gonna strengthen relationships. And in many ways, it's gonna benefit us, it's gonna make us emotionally healthier and happier. So here are five tips from Mr. Carnegie. So here are five tips from Mr. Carnegie to number one, you will make more friends by being interested in other people than you will by you're trying to get other people interested in you. It's simple, be interested in other people. One thing we should always remember is, we're always the main character in our own movies. Everyone else is a supporting actor, when we're interacting with others is easy to get wrapped up in our own stores. But when we take a step back, and are genuinely curious and take an interest in others, we make connections. And truth be told, if we give people a chance, they're pretty interesting. Often, we only know people at a surface level, and we never get to know the person deep down. And when we take time to connect, and we have real conversations, when we take time to hear their stories, we learned so much. And all that takes is taking a step back, being genuinely intrigued by another, realizing we were given two ears, and one mouth for a reason. so intently Listen, and lead with curiosity. And if we do that we can learn and we can grow and we connect with others in such a deep and meaningful way. Tip number two, smile. It's simple. Just smile. We feel the energy that others give off when we see that smile. Think about those times when you walk into school. And you're greeted at the door by a colleague or a student, and they're just smiling away. It makes you feel good. And on the flip side of that, have you ever walked down the hallway, and you come across a person who is gruff and just a little bit miserable, and their energy brings you down? So much so that you dread when you come into contact with them? Now, who would you rather be around? It's important that we do a check in on ourselves. Are we someone who is smiling? Are we someone who is lighting up the rooms with our shine, and never giving off that positive energy? Or when we walk into rooms when people walk past us? Are we giving off that other type of energy. So smile, and give off that energy that matters. Tip number three, to be a good conversationalist become a good listener. This is an underrated skill. We all have people in our lives that are great listeners, they pay attention to every word that we say. They're curious, they ask us questions. We also have those people in our lives, though, that would not get a passing grade on the report card for this. They interrupt. They're constantly looking over your shoulder, you can tell that when you're talking to them. They're thinking about what they want to say before you're finished speaking, or they start talking before you're finished. And this one is my all time favorite. What really is a sign that others are not paying attention is when you're talking and someone reaches down into their pocket. They pull out that cell phone and they start scrolling through social media. that sends a message right there. Now, I can't act like I'm great at this. as I've gotten older, I've tried to become a better listener. And there are some interesting people out there and honestly, we all have something to share. Some people are very open, and for some it takes us initiating the conversation. But when we do, we can gain so much. We can gain an appreciation for others if we listen to the road. The day have had to travel, I found a meaningful way to connect with others is when you learn about a special event in someone's life that's coming up. And then a few days later, you follow up, and you ask them how that event was. That means a lot. Other ways that come when we can really connect is when we cheer people on. When we know someone's trying to quit smoking, when we know someone's trying a new fitness routine, where they're trying to drop a few pounds, and we become a cheerleader for them. When we're there to encourage when we're there to support others. It matters. And that all starts with just listening. Tip number four, think about other people's interests. Mr. Carnegie tells the story of Teddy Roosevelt. And he said, whenever Teddy Roosevelt had a visitor, he would stay up late the night before reading up on what he knew his visitor liked, then he would have long discussions about this topic with his visitor. Now we're all different. We all have unique likes, we all have unique interests. And we can connect with others when we take time to talk about their edges. And tip number five, show appreciation for others. Have you ever done something that you worked really hard at? And someone complimented you on it? They took the time out to let you know that they saw what you did, and they appreciated it. How to make you feel? How did you feel towards those people? No, I've been blessed because I've been surrounded by some great people that are encouragers and motivators. And there's been times when I might not have been showing it on the outside. But internally, I was struggling a little bit with motivation and enthusiasm. But these people, they've popped their head in my doorway at school at the right time. Or they've sent me a text or give me a call, and just show me a few words of appreciation. And then that moment, those words are priceless. They've lifted me out of the funk, they've given me an extra pep in my step. And they were just simple words. But they made all the difference in the world. No, daily life is heart. And as we grow older, we don't get that same level of encouragement that we did when we were younger. But we still need it. We all could use that people in our corner cheering us on letting us know we're doing a good job. Trust me, when you take that time to show appreciation for someone you make that person's day. These are just a few gems that can be found in the boat is a classic for a good reason. becoming a better friend helps out others, but it also helps us out as well. And remember, if you want to make stronger connections with those around you this summer, be interested in others smile, be a good listener. Think about what others are interested in and show appreciation. Thank you for being part of the teaching champions community, we encourage we support we lift each other up. And if you could subscribe or leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you think others may benefit from this message, please share. And always remember, whether you're from rural America to urban America, to Canada to Spain to Bahrain. We're all on that same team. We're all on that same mission. And we're always better together. My challenge for you this week is actually two things. First, being encourager this week. Take time each day and let someone know they matter. And that can be in person can be an email or quick text. We don't always wear our burdens on the outside. But we all have something and just a few kind words. It can truly make the difference in someone's debt. And the second part of the challenge is to make a conscious effort to share your smile. Pay attention to how others respond to that energy that you're giving off. And honestly, we have a lot to smile about. We woke up today. We were blessed with another sunrise. Keep being amazing, my friends and as we go out to this week May you step into your strength, may you step into your shine, and let's build our champions up. Have a great week, everybody.