Be careful who you push away… some of us don’t come back.
Be careful who you push away… some of us don’t come back.
Have you ever had a conflict in which you felt the other party was treating you with less than the same courtesy you have extended to them?
What choice did you make at that moment?
In most cases, it probably matters more how and what they did that you consider being pushed away. There are so many permutations of that metaphor as to make a blanket statement about it all but moot.
For example, there is the person who is just too busy to return your messages or phone calls. You might take a clue and disappear, but you might also be closing a door on a much larger opportunity that you would be foolish to lose. Perhaps you are wiser to suck it up and keep chasing them until that opportunity is fully realized. My bet is that when the opportunity is fully realized, that the calls and messages will be returned much sooner. There is a thin line between self respect and tenacity. Only you can define it for yourself.
There is the person in your personal life who is available occasionally, (except when they get a better offer). I covered this topic a few weeks ago… if you treat me like an option, I leave you like a choice.
In my line of business, there are those who take my company for a test drive, and before we can even drill down on what they are seeking, they are already flirting with another option. Despite my explaining we have won 265 of the top creative and technical awards, they are already convinced, in their mind, that we cannot read their mind, so they are trepidatious. Once that chapter has been reached, I lose all interest in working with them on anything, ever again…. Even if they return with a large, profitable project. Once we have had that moment, I am completely tuned out and have fully lost interest.
Being headstrong, as I am exemplifying above, comes with a penalty. In many cases, my choices are wrong. Others will tell you to let it flow like water off a duck’s back. I am slowly getting better at that, but in most cases, once we have had one of these chapters, my self respect (or pride, or arrogance… you decide) precludes my ability to retrace those kinds of steps. I suppose in my case, this stems watching Lucy hold the football for Charley Brown, or from… fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice….
Turning the tables 180º, we are equally capable of pushing someone of value away, in the distraction of the moment. Taking the time to recognize how it makes us feel should be the greatest tutor for teaching us how and why we are not going to allow ourselves to behave similarly to others.
The fine line between pride, arrogance, self respect and tenacity is detailed to a point in moments like these. When we are either on the giving or receiving end of this communication breakdown, we are at a crossroads of knowledge. Whichever path we choose, had best come with the benefits of improving us as individuals along with the other perks for making the choice we are opting to make.
Happy Tuesday!
Welcome back to the real world!
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