Just have to say a few more things about Dawn, the mother of six I wrote about in this post (whom Sheena introduced us to originally -- thanks, Sheena!). First, and main: She did not contrive, conspire, maneuver, plot, scheme, plan, arrange, or otherwise try to achieve influence, notoriety, etc., on eBay or anywhere else. She simply began using her gifts, and her situation -- i.e., what she already had.
Apparently, the Pokemon card auction wasn't her first landslide writing (or auction) success; a couple years back she sold an old, dirty baseball for $1125 because of the description, which chronicled a morning in her life as a mother. (Another great read!)
As result of that auction, she got emails from people telling her she should write a book. But, considering the logistics, she decided to start a blog instead. Because I Said So "(changing lives, one diaper at a time, since 1994)," is as good as her auction. She's also been collecting stories from her family life with the possibility of a book in mind...and may have her opportunity to publish soon!
Dawn hasn't been to college and has never taken a writing class outside of high school. But she's a natural writer, with a fantastic sense of humor. She portrays motherhood as the crazy, messy, expensive, exhausting, and joyful thing it truly is -- free of shame and apologies. She's not afraid to express the feelings that all mothers have, whether they'll admit it or not. (About shopping for school supplies, she says, "Yes, it's almost that most wonderful time of the year and it can't come soon enough.") It's apparent that she loves her kids and is a great mom (she wouldn't have such a sense of humor about everything if she didn't, and wasn't), but she's also honest about things such as the exhaustion factor and the relief of a break.
I'll admit that, just a few years back, before fully realizing that the chaos of motherhood is what it is and that's just the way it is, I battled feelings of inadequacy and, yes, shame. And still do sometimes. Some mysterious authoritarian-figure-in-my-head stood over me with a stern, disapproving expression for every non-perfect thing my kids or I did. I wondered whether, even if I were to fix all my faults, things would still be as crazy. Truthfully? Yes, I think so...almost. But who doesn't have faults?
Now that my three kids aren't so little (11-1/2, 8-1/2, and 5-1/2 -- those 1/2s are important) and life is a bit more sane, I realize that there's only so much of the chaos of parenting little ones that can be controlled. The rest just has to be survived. And it can, and is, and will be. Thankfully, these days I'm just not as concerned with what "other people" may think.
Which brings me back to the title of this post. How to win friends and influence people:
1) Be yourself
2) Be honest
3) Be funny
4) Be a good communicator
5) Speak of what you know
6) Use what you have
7) Use your gifts -- whether they are "officially" trained, "officially" recognized, or not
That's it.
Dawn Meehan is now a virtual spokesperson for moms everywhere. Of course, not everyone speaks for that many people, and some, while doing 1) - 7), may only speak for a few. Or one. But that's OK. It's still the best way to win friends and influence people. Even for the gospel.
Listen to Dawn being interviewed by Fox 19 (she locked herself in the bathroom so she could speak by phone) and read the article about her in the St. Petersburg Times.
One more thing. I can't resist: you've gotta read Dawn's post on want ads. Even funnier than her auction. (Warning: you may get wet! If not your pants, then your face...I laughed til I cried)
