I was snippy, snappy and cranky. A few weeks ago I realized that I was missing a 1099 form for my taxes and when I called the company for help I got a bunch of those non-answers. You know, the answers that make it obvious that the person on the other end of the line doesn’t have all the information they need to actually help you.
So I got snippy. I wasn’t outright rude, but my voice took on a petulant tone that conveyed my dissatisfaction. Although the woman on the other end had done her best, she couldn’t help me and I felt justified in treating her a little bit badly.
The memory of my crankiness followed me into the next day, like a shame hangover. Here I am, writing a blog about personal growth yet I give myself permission to lash out when I’m having a bad day. To be honest, I wasn’t even having a bad day, I was just irritated that I didn’t get what I wanted.
It’s easy to vent a little by sneaking in a bit of unkindness when we think no one’s looking. It can be a harsh tone to a sales clerk or letting impatience creep into our voice when someone doesn’t understand us quickly enough. We’ve all been at the other end of that, I know I have, and it stings.
It can become a habit, taking out our frustration on others. And each time we give ourselves permission to behave that way it gets a little bit easier and we feel a little bit more justified. Until we find ourselves, like I did, snapping at some poor stranger because they fail to meet our every need.
While the woman I talked to probably doesn’t even remember me (hopefully), I regret that my bitter voice will be part of her day. Rather than spreading a little sunshine, I brought a little rain into her life.
And that’s not the person I want to be in this world.
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Your words also remind me to think about this from my “sales clerk” side too so I don’t always take cranky customers personally. They might just be having a bad day. Thanks for the always inspirational blogs.
Thanks to you, Jasmine, for the reminder that the person on the other end of our meanness might be a lovely lady like you :)
An old mantra says that the greatest victory is victory over self. Being human carries with it our tendency to let our emotions guide our actions and I must admit that it’s not an easy task to take control of our instincts. Yes, we may have slip up, but the important thing is that we become aware of the wrong we did. With that realization comes our will to conquer ourselves. :-)
So true, Walter! This blog is all about being and loving ourselves as we are, but also being aware of when our reactions might be off.
Thanks for your comment :)
Melinda