So this was amazing.
I was working with someone for a number of weeks/months.
All of a sudden, I got a complete blow off email from them that said they are done and they wished me well in a sort of very sarcastic and even contemptuous way–like a real f*ck off!
Were they just being nasty or trying to pick a fight or something?
First, I was taken aback and honestly hurt–like what the heck happened that they showed their true strips…did I miss it all along.
I showed my wife their email, and she read it the same way, and said “What an asshole!”
I continued to hold my mouthpiece and feelings as I contemplated how I would respond.
I have to admit that some choice words and wishes back to them definitely came to mind.
But I said to myself, “Hold, hold, hold!”
It wasn’t easy not to respond in kind–lash back out at them–and even then some for good measure.
No, that isn’t the way.
You can rise above this.
I kept my mouth shut and literally controlled my reactions.
Well, lo’ and behold, I thought I would never hear from this person again the way they spoke to me, but then a few days later, I received another email where apparently they rethought what they did.
It didn’t have to come from me to them to “set them straight!”
Their own conscience seemed to have played on them and they came to their own senses about how they behaved and spoke.
I learned from this that it is critical to maintain your composure and keep your cool under all circumstances, no matter how trying.
Don’t stoop to their level–you rise above it!
Sometimes, the other person may just surprise you and rise back up too and do the right thing in the end. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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