Tangled Thoughts

Im in what most would call a bad mood today.  One of those days where everything is super annoying, and everyone is frustrating me, and can do no right.  Its gotten me to thinking about how I react to people sometimes.  I woke up this morning and convinced myself that today would be a good day.  That nothing was going to get to me, that I was going to be happy and just let everything roll off my back.  And then…life happened.

Customers were rude, transfers weren’t happening, emails were being ignored, my mind was NOT working and I just wanted to yell at everyone that got in my path.  Except that I knew it wouldn’t do any bit of good.  So instead I am thinking about my reaction to people.  Especially my reaction on days where I am in a less than good mood.  How often do I snap, needlessly at other people?  For being happy?  For being sad?  For simply crossing my path?

I was thinking the other day about Yoshi, and how a lot of what she does / doesn’t do applies to me.

Now, Im completely against relating people to animals, so that isn’t what I am trying to do – its sort of a loose illustration that got me to thinking.

Late last week I took Yoshi outside because she was standing at the door wagging her tail as fast as she could with a worried look on.  One of her many clues that she needs to go out.  After a bout 5 minutes of standing in the rain with her doing anything BUT what she was supposed to, I gave up and brought her in.  And not 2 minutes later she was back at the door, tail wagging, worried as could be.  This went on for three or four more times until I gave up and got mad.

Couldn’t she see I was BUSY?  And it was WET outside and I really didn’t WANT to keep running in and out with her.  Instead of finishing what she was supposed to she took off running as fast as she could back to her bed where she stayed until I calmed down, and we repeated the process all over again until she finally gave up.

It wasn’t until a few days later when I was researching something completely different did I come across an article on dogs.  Lab dogs in particular.  It was saying how labs will do pretty much ANYTHING to please their owners, and then I saw Yoshi outside in the rain, worried because I had left her (she hates to be left, and I had walked off on her).  It shed a whole new light on things, and instead of getting mad – I praised her when she finally did what she was supposed to.  Her eyes lit up, and a light bulb went off (in both our heads) because since that moment she has EAGERLY rushed to do what she should, all because she knows I will praise her.  And well, maybe she wants a jelly bean too – but that’s beside the point 🙂

She really got me to thinking about how I respond to people.  Not just dogs.  Not saying people are dogs, or that I should treat them like that – but how many times do I loose my patients because someone is doing something “Too slow” or “Not good enough.”  How many times do I discourage someone who thinks they are doing good because I don’t see it.  I am so fast to dish our disapproving words, and slow to encourage or praise.  Instead of focusing so much of the negative and what someone has done wrong, I wondered what it would be like if I pointed out the GOOD that they did.  Surprisingly enough – it seems that people respond better to critique when you arent constantly critiquing them!  Who would have thought?

Even on days when I am in a less than impressed mood, I can still take the time to realize that one misbehaved customer doesn’t have to ruin my day.  Because really?  99% of them really do make my day.

Heres to not dropping the ball on people, and learning from my mistakes.  And of course, Yoshi too.