The Importance of Self-Discipline

Have you ever been out in public and witnessed an individual go off on a service person…. whether it be a waiter, a clerk at the grocery store, customer service at your local Sprint store or your barista at Starbucks?

Then, the poor individual on the receiving end has that look on their face like, “What are you talking about?” or “Who spit in your Cheerios this morning!”

Well, I was that person on the receiving end last month — only I was not out in public, I was sitting at my desk at 7:45 am and I received the rant in the form of an email.

It gave me complete pause as I was completely confused as to how this person whom I respect so much and consider to be a friend could get so loose with their self-discipline with their email.

The pressure she was feeling in her world was projected on to me and all she did was escalate the situation instead of elevating it.

The power of words does not lessen when they are sent in an email as opposed to spoken. As a matter of fact, you need to show more self-discipline and restraint as the emotion in the email can be easily misconstrued.

The need to be self-disciplined shows up in every area of our life, including emails. Once you push send, there is no taking it back.

Remember this…words are powerful and when and how you choose to use them reveals your character.

Every problem has a solution, every person involved in the situation has a story, and there will always be an outcome. Be a part of the solution not the problem, be selfless not self-centered, and leverage the outcome into an even stronger relationship.

Slow down when responding and think…..no matter how long it takes. I responded 23 hours later, it was best for both of us.

 

 

 

This was originally published as a weekly newsletter from Ed Molitor, with The Molitor Group. If you’d like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.