Archive for April 18th, 2007
Positive Energy
April 18th, 2007
So about fifteen minutes after my arrival today, a colleague saw me about an issue on which he was clearly unhappy. Normally, I may have reacted to him differently, but today I just looked at him and thought “how unfortunate that he’s this upset.” I didn’t take in any of his negative energy, didn’t react, just calmly answered his questions.
I really wish I could manage from that perspective 100% of the time. My “business” is working with people who come with as many different attitudes, issues, and emotions as there are minutes in the day. It felt really great to maintain my own energy and attitude without taking in any of his. I found that I was refreshingly calm, cool, and collected.
This was a great reminder that everyone needs a little time away to gain perspective. Coming back from a ten day student tour, I know it was a success because I feel ready to handle anything that comes my way. I’m reminded that this is the perfect job for me, and most important, that spending real time with our students (as I got to on this trip) is the secret to my own happiness and success.