Posts tagged Smile
Getting Along With Difficult People In 3 Easy Steps
Jan 18th
It’s tough getting along with difficult people, but it can be done. Come on, we’ve crossed paths with them since our first day at school.
Remember the kids who we didn’t think we’d get along with? The teachers who always made our lives miserable? And how about that leech of a classmate who never contributed anything to group projects? We’ve all been there and in some cases, are still there!
Getting along with difficult people might be something of a challenge at first; but once you see that you’ve got other options aside from the “grin and bear it” strategy, you’ll be amazed at how easy it can be.
Here are 3 effective ways to deal with them.
Step 1: Smile Genuinely.
We’ve been told to grin and bear unpleasant things so many times that to be told to smile at difficult people just seems so ineffective. But see, there is a huge difference between the two.
Grinning and bearing it means that you’re only tolerating the person or the situation; whereas smiling means that you’re seeing the person or situation in a more positive light.
Instead of concentrating on the negatives, you focus on the positives. Smiling also helps you feel better about the situation as well. Besides, difficult people won’t expect you to smile at them so easily. It’s not only a disarming move, it will also make you look different in their eyes.
Step 2: Understand Where They’re Coming From.
While we deserve an award for getting along with difficult people, that does not make them the bad guys. In fact, you might be surprised at what you uncover once you take the time to understand where other people are coming from.
Let’s take a guy named Eddie as an example. He’s one of the bossiest people you’ve ever met and he constantly nitpicks at every little detail. Most people dislike him and have a hard time dealing with him, but not you.
That’s because you know that he only wants the project to become a success and that he’s giving it his all. Sure, he’s bossy but you know that’s only because he’s a perfectionist.
Someone like you whose priority is to get the job done understands that; and in turn, you don’t feel threatened or annoyed by it.
Step 3: Always Take The Mature Route.
It’s so easy to just give in and scratch another person’s eyes out or hit them with whatever you’ve got lying around, but that’s not going to solve anything.
Getting along with difficult people is not always easy, especially if you don’t have a lot of patience; but giving in to immature urges will only make the situation worse.
So take a deep breath and calm yourself when they irritate or treat you badly. Repeat to yourself several times, “I’m in control of myself.”
Follow these tips and getting along with difficult people will soon become second nature to you.
Making Gratitude Work for You
Dec 1st
It only takes minutes of watching the local news to realize that I should be extremely grateful. It was only days ago in a local Canadian City that a young couple, out on a date, were hit by a car while waiting for a bus. Both people were killed, leaving behind three young girls. It’s these moments in life that make me pause and realize how grateful I should be – I grew up with both parents in my life and my children still have them to enjoy as part of their lives. It’s at those moments that my heart goes out to those children who will suddenly face the reality of losing something they were so grateful for, as they are faced with a sudden tragedy.
News like this occurs every day, all over the world. But, aside for feeling strong emotions of pain, empathy and sadness, we should also be reminded of why we should be grateful for the lives we are living. Life is short. It’s important to notice they things in your life that make you smile. It’s very easy to take things for granted like food, water, shelter, friends and family. Sadly, it seems we are only grateful for these things when we are struck by disasters.
It’s easy to be grateful when you get a raise, buy a new car or win on a scratch ticket, but we often forget that those aren’t the most important things in our lives. What about the people around us? I have a friend that says everyday she is grateful for her coworkers. Why? Because they have patience and she doesn’t, so they are able to calm her down and get her back on track when things get too hectic.
For me, I am always grateful of my family. I recognize that my wife and son survived a car accident they shouldn’t have. So each day, I wake up happy to see them again. I’m also grateful that I have a daughter who cares and makes pillows for people in need of comfort. And that when her teacher passed away from cancer, she was told of the impact she had made with her presents. I am also grateful that each day I can wake up, go to work and make a difference in someone’s life that needs it.
It’s not only these gifts that I cherish. I am grateful that I have the gift of laughter, and that each day I try my hardest to enjoy the things I have, always keeping a positive outlook on the situations I am faced with.
People are grateful for different things, for different reasons. Appreciation, gratitude and love are positive and uplifting expressions. So it stands to reason that the more you avail yourself to these things the more optimistic and confident you will be. Start small by being thankful for one thing each day – even if it’s the simplicity of coming home to an adventuring two year old that erases all of your stress at the end of a long work day.
It’s a simple practice we should all participate in – gratitude. On that note, I’ll leave you with a great quote from Oprah Winfrey: “Be thankful for what you have and you will end up having more. But if you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never, ever have enough.”
