THE BEST KIND OF RESPONSE

I know a man who nothing moves. When you offend him in anyway, he just sighs and moves on. The strange thing about him is that you would not even see any reaction neither will his emotions betray him. Carefully guarded he remains at all times and in all places. So I decided to keep a closer watch but my watch still yielded no negative reports. I then took a step further by interviewing his kids because I know at least there is no one who is quite immune to the tantrum of kids but I got a stunning answer.

Daddy never says anything when he is angry. He would rather smile and then move on but when he wants to say anything, his words truly hurt. Unknown to me, the kids being kids went to their father and then let the cat out of the bag by telling their dad that they were asked questions about him and he called me on phone. The first thing he did was to laugh and then told me that I should have come directly to him. I couldn’t come directly to you, I retorted simply because I wanted to know if this outward way of living was false. We are living in a world where people step on toes, bosses want to outshine their subordinates, friends looking for ways to outsmart their friends and yet in this kind of world, over the last ten years I have known you to keep your cool in the face of any challenge. That I found to be truly remarkable and I set out to look for answers that could change my perception.

He said I have no secret but I have come to understand that whenever things happen, it is important I keep my peace. If I don’t, I cannot make the right decision and I may have to regret my actions later. He continued by saying that words are heavy and he considers words as a gift; moreover you should be careful how you use them or they will come back to haunt you later. This he told me he learnt long ago and ever since it became a part of him, he and people around him have enjoyed better business dealings and better relationships have been developed.

He concluded by telling me that if I want to be truly great, I should ensure that when things happen I do not lose my peace. Ever since that conversation, I found a new way of approaching issues and it is something that can truly give you an edge. Make no mistake, it is not easy to do this as the way we are wired was not built to accept dung hurled at you but you can surely take a few moments to search within you and find an appropriate response if there must be any.

Have a simple formula

MUST RESPOND               =             RESPOND APPROPRIATELY

MUST NOT RESPOND     =             KEEP QUIET AND CONTINUE WHAT YOU ARE DOING

All the best