I ordered something online from a company I had never ordered from before. The response notice I received with my order was like many these days, “Please be patient with us. Your order may be received later than expected.”
When I received the box, it looked like it had fallen off the truck and someone had driven over it. Everything inside was great but the box looked terrible. The courier said to me, “I sure hope you are going to call and complain about the state of that box.” I smiled and responded, “Never. Not my style to complain. There are far greater problems in the world.”
In her book Miracles Now, Gabrielle Bernstein says that happy people would never post a mean comment. She is right. We don’t. I am not going to negatively post about, email or call a company that could be struggling to keep up with demand. I would be embarrassed to call them with my “first world problem” of a box that wasn’t delivered in perfect shape, in a world that needs kindness. Just because you are entitled to give your opinion, does not mean that
everyone wants to hear it.
I do the best I can as a motivational speaker. I give up a clean house and go to bed at 10 p.m. I eat healthy and give up pizza and wine (Monday to Friday!), so I never call in sick. I leave unanswered emails to exercise every day so I have energy. I give up sleep and wake up at 5 a.m. so I can meditate and be focused, grounded, and happy. I read, watch and listen to things that help me to be a better human being. I truly give my company and audiences everything
I have. Do you know what that is? All I can give. Do you know what else that is? Good enough. Even with all that I do, there is still the odd, unhappy person who posts a mean comment.
People are giving the best they can give right now. So, before you decide to focus on the 10% and post about, email or call a company with a mean comment stop and ask yourself “Will I be a happy person if I do this?” Perhaps you will be happier if you don’t.
Happily patient,
