Give And Ye Shall Receive

In the madness of the holidays, you may have encountered some rude behavior or bad customer service.  Where I found this particularly noticeable this year, was at 2 of the 3 Canada Post outlets I visited.

After back to back encounters with very rude Canada Post employees, I realized something.  The Christmas season puts an increased work load on these people and it’s obvious how unhappy they are in their jobs.  I really felt sorry for them.

As I entered the 3^rd outlet store, I braced myself for the anger that was about to be unleashed.  As I stepped up to the counter, all I could think of was how much pressure this employee must feel from the miserable, never-ending line up of rushed customers she had to deal with.   I realize

Then, she looked me in the eyes with a smile and asked “How may I help you?” She was so pleasant… so helpful… and smiling!  I was so surprised that I didn’t quite know how to react.  I blurted out, “You’re the nicest Canada Post employee I’ve ever met!” 

She wasn’t at all surprised by my comment.  She confidently replied, “Thank you.  You’re the 3^rd person to say so today.  My coworkers tell me stories of rude customers and mean people every day.  I don’t have such stories.  I believe you get treated the way you treat others.”

Simple and true is the golden rule - Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Think how different everything would be if everyone followed this simple principle. Granted, we cannot control the actions of other people, but we can control how we behave.

So, if you want to keep the peace this holiday season (INNER peace that is), smile.  Chances are, people will smile back.