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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Beyond the Mirror

As a trainer, I work with all types and I enjoy almost all of them. Every once in a while, I get a student who truly rubs me the wrong way. There was one employee in particular, who I would dread every time I saw her name on a roster. Smug, condescending and very sarcastic, when she was in my class, it was a struggle to maintain a positive and upbeat atmosphere.

A few days after one of my sessions with her, I was in a store and had to make a return. I was having a bad day and apparently the sales clerk was too. I completed the transaction and as I walked through the parking lot, it occurred to me, I had acted as smug, condescending and sarcastic as my dreaded student!

I was mortified. The behavior that I found so ugly and repulsive on her didn't look any better on me.

Those opportunities to see ourselves in others are rare but they can also be priceless. If we are open to them, they allow us to see how we appear and the effect that we have on others. If sarcastic downer chick could have such a profoundly negative affect on me, is it possible that I could have had that affect on others? It was truly a moment of truth.

1 comment:

  1. I know exactly what you are saying. I was once rude to a security guard chick for no reason and I felt so bad about it that a couple hours later I found her again and apologized for my behavior.

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