An Equal and Opposite Reaction…

Recently, I read an interesting story that goes like this:

Two young women working in a community hospital decided to quit their jobs. They were tired of dealing with ungrateful, complaining patients, back-biting between employees, and an apathetic administration. Just before quitting, though, these two women decided to try an experiment. They resolved, just for the fun of it, to bend over backwards for everyone they encountered on their last day of work.

       

So, no matter how someone looked at them, talked to them, or treated them, they overwhelmed people with encouragement, courtesy, and appreciation. Before long, an amazing transformation took place. Patients didn’t seem so miserable, staff even smiled at each other, and the administration seemed surprisingly interested in their affairs.

The two women experienced Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The very situations that caused frustration were reflections of their own attitudes.

You have a choice everyday as to how you are going to respond to the irritants of the day.  Your choice can either make a problem worse or positively change the lives of the people you come in contact with, strangers, family and co-workers. 

The following are a few ideas that will help you when faced with various attitudes you may encounter during the day:

·         When faced with individuals who are ungrateful, show grace. 

·         When someone has a frown on their face, give them a big smile.  Smiling can be contagious.

·         If someone fails to hold the door open for you, open the door for someone else.  Counter the lack of courtesy shown to you, by showing courtesy to someone else.

·         If you feel unappreciated, express your appreciation to someone who does something nice for you.

You may be surprised at the effect you have on others.  A day that started out poorly can quickly turn to one of joy and happiness. 

I remember a story that was told to me a long time ago.  A commuter would stop each day at a magazine stand to purchase a newspaper.  Every day the owner of the stand would curse him and call him names.  One day after purchasing a paper a fellow commuter asked the man, “Why do you continue to buy newspapers from this man who berates you?”  The man simply said, “I am not going to let his ugly words dictate how I am going to respond.”  

Remember you are in charge of your attitude and how you respond to life’s challenges.  You cannot control everything that happens to you or how people respond to you, but you can control your Attitude.

My father-in-law used to tell my son, “there are many attitudes out there, go choose a good one.” 

What attitude will you embrace for the day?