Dreading the meeting that I had scheduled; but the meeting had to happen. There was too much bad history, too much crap mucking it up - would have much preferred to stay at home in bed with the covers snugly pulled up to my eyes.
Then, for some reason (miracles must happen), I changed my mind about the meeting. I decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. There could be merit in the other views presented. I might be able to mend a fence vs trying to fend off an attack. I changed my approach to the meeting from negative to positive with an eye to the idea that the meeting could actually be beneficial.
Guess what? It was.
Most of us, when facing an undesirable situation, desperately want the other parties involved to change. . .or go away. . .or die! Truth is, the best way we can get others to change; is to change ourselves.
Why does that work? Because we have changed the dynamic. People are going to react to us differently when we change up the way we react to them. If we anticipate they are going to be miserable human beings - they most certainly will fulfill that expectation. If, however, we set the stage for a strong, positive interaction. . .seldom will we be disappointed.
The good news/bad news is that we have to swallow some pride to change. By changing to a more positive outlook, however, we are taking the higher road Minimally that means that we have put our best foot forward to "make it work." Maximally it means a better use of our time, an enhancement to our reputation and most important, a positive use of our energy.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for 2.99 on Amazon Kindle.
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