Love each other as we love ourselves. That’s what the Good Book says.
When I hear vitriolic comments being said about another, I often wonder how much the attacking party loves themselves. Asking myself “why” can lead to frustration.
Trying to control someone else’s attitude is a waste of my time. The best I believe we can each do is continue to be civil to others without losing our temper.
Road rage for me is one area that has been getting a lot of attention. Being more aware of my attitude toward dumb driving has helped me “love my neighbor”. Today when seeing any kind of dangerous driving, I slow up and pray for that person.
May they get safely to their destination.
May whatever is driving them to aggressive driving be resolved quickly.
It has amazed me how that has helped my attitude. Friends share with me that driving around town is one place they can lose control of their attitude. I read once that we are all on the same team. We are all trying to get someplace safely and in one piece. Why be selfish? Share the road.
How does this relate to being an entrepreneur? In my opinion, attitude is the biggest contributor to being focused on your desired outcome. When disturbed or even depressed, our productivity suffers. Hanging out with positive high-energy, focused purpose-driven people is a great motivator for me.
Iron sharpens iron.
Does that mean I never get discouraged? Ha! It does seems to happen less as my faith walk strengthens. That said, it is a natural part of living. We cannot know a high unless we have experienced a low. The 23rd Psalm does a wonderful job of sharing our emotions during the ride of emotions we naturally face.
How can I have a mountain top experience unless time has been spent in the valley? When those moments hit me, I step back into a quiet place. Start with a clean piece of paper and begin writing down my blessings. The top of the list is my relationship with my spouse and my God. Family, friends, co-workers, great vendor relationships and clients are always on that list.
Try this exercise the next time you get discouraged.
Another discipline I have developed is to reflect at the end of the day on some positive impact I may have had on another’s life. It could be as simple as opening the door for a pregnant mother wheeling a stroller and trying to cope with a whiny baby. It might be time invested in the relationship with a client who just found out their “baby” is fighting the disease of alcohol or drug addiction.
With a positive attitude and abiding in love of self, we can be more aware of people in pain and at least listen. Here I mean active listening, not quickly jumping to solutions. Hear and understand their pain. I believe we are here to support one another. Life is a series of challenges.
Practicing civility opens us up to being approachable and available.
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