Everyone can do simple things to make a difference, and every little bit really does count – Stella McCartney
Tommy Rhomberg
In August 2020, a powerful storm struck Iowa, leaving the city of Mount Vernon with fallen debris and trees. On the day of the storm, 13-year-old Tommy Rhomberg decided to use some of the fallen trees to carve a bat for his best friend Walker, who was celebrating his birthday and had an affinity for baseball bats. Using his grandfather’s tools and sandpaper, Tommy took the next several days to make good on his decision. Walker was amazed and excited when he received his gift. He was equally grateful for his friend taking the time to make such a thoughtful gift. Tommy has always been a builder. He loves making things. His dedication and commitment to carving a bat was quite a gesture from a 13-year-old.
His mum, Amanda Rhomberg, saw the bat and posted it on Facebook. Suddenly, requests were pouring in daily from people wanting Tommy to make baseball bats for them and willing to pay. Tommy went to work. His parents bought him a lathe to carve the bats and helped him build a website where he could sell the bats. Tommy went further. He used part of the profits to help families devastated by the storm. Tommy exemplifies that micro-moves – small actions – that make a difference can be done by anyone using what they have.
Just like Tommy made a difference in his little corner of the world, we can use micro-moves to make a difference. How can we do this?
Pattern Recognition
Pattern recognition is a powerful tool for making a difference using micro-moves. By recognition, I mean noticing the commonalities of feedback you receive from various people. These could be friends, families, and even strangers who compliment you when you do something. When Tommy’s friend saw the gift, he was grateful. When his mum saw the bat, she was amazed at his woodcraft. Once she posted it and the requests poured in for bats, the patterns of compliments were hard to ignore. Noticing these patterns can be the breadcrumbs leading you to make an impact like Tommy did. The patterns that led me to write blogs came from my wife and friends, who encouraged me to write consistently. Are you always complimented on your organizational skills and ability to execute tasks? This could be an indication of your management abilities. Are you good at drawing the right people to work on a common goal? You could be showing leadership traits. Exploring these patterns can turn you into a difference-maker.
Patterns begin with bits and pieces. Make a micro-move. Better yet, start a micro-habit, a quarter-twist turn of doing something new that, although small, can catapult you to a higher quality of life through consistency. What you do consistently, no matter how small, gets you to the significant progress we all seek. Make the micro habit part of your daily routine, creating a pattern. As the pattern develops and you repeat the action or habit, you create reverberations of value that make a difference in someone else’s life.
What you do consistently, no matter how small, gets you to the significant progress we all seek.
Final thought: Tommy’s age did not hinder his efforts to make a difference in his community. What started as a gift to a friend significantly impacted his community in its time of need. What micro move can you make based on patterns of value that others recognize in your life? Explore them and discover that little things make a big difference.
Keep on keeping on.
Notes
https://inspiremykids.com/tommy-rhomberg-12-year-old-goes-to-bat-for-storm-victims/
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