I just had a very frustrating experience with UPS. I won’t give all the details because this post would be way too long. In summary, I felt they had done something wrong and I was going to get them to admit that and do things my way. You can imagine how that worked out!
I notice I have a tendency to want to be right. When something doesn’t go the way I want, I want to show the other person why what they are doing is wrong and my perspective is what matters. I employ all my skills of perception and speaking to get my point across. I can even get emotionally pushy.
Since nothing I did fixed my situation with UPS, I decided to turn it into a personal teaching moment. There are three things I learned from my zeal to get what I wanted from UPS.
The first was there is NO VALUE is trying to get the other person to admit they did something wrong. I want that so I can feel righteous and I already know that’s not useful.
The second lesson is that I took my eye of what was more important. I was embarrassed that something I wanted to get to someone wasn’t going to get there when I wanted. I started talking to many people at UPS and the result was exactly the opposite of what I wanted – to get the package delivered a quick as possible even if late. The result was the package will take over twice as long to get to the recipient.
The last and for me the most lesson is to remember none of this is personal. I made it about how I felt, which in the end is not anyone’s job but my own.
Sometimes, we feel a gnawing discontent. This arises from something inside that keeps letting us know that something isn’t right in our lives. In my case, this discontent has arisen many times and i have done my best to push it back down. Not in overt ways. I’m more subtle in my approach to my inner concerns.
“Yes, yes, that’s right things aren’t going well for me. Let me just finish what i’m doing” or “I need to do just one more things and then I tend to this concern”. The problem is there is never a comfortable moment so the dance drags on. Until there is a calamity of some sort and the noise is so loud that to ignore it could jeopardize my life.
I’ve had a long career of creating new businesses or helping businesses grow. The creative flow is very strong in me. I probably see a new business opportunity multiple times a day. The problem is that I’m have way more ideas than time and even when I take the time to engage a new idea, I don’t vet it as well as I could. Particularly, I don’t dig in and see how well this great idea is purposeful and is aligned with my most important values. I just jump in.
Which leads me to today. I used to have a writeup in this space about my wonderful accomplishments. Sure, I’ve done lots of things, but does that really matter to you? You might be more interested in why am I writing. I would be if i was reading this.
I’m writing because I love helping people see things they may have missed. Not to help them be smarter or think of me as a clever guy. The purpose is to help them have richer lives. So, few of us tap even a small portion of our potential. Each day that we pass the opportunity of a full life will never be recovered. I’m at a stage of life where this feels more important than ever. I do have regrets for not reaching this conclusion earlier and then again there is no time like the present.
I welcome any feedback you have or areas you are interested in exploring. If I have something to share, I’ll do so gladly. Thank you for reading and I wish you a full and rich life.
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One thought on “Personal Lesson from UPS”
All the world’s a mirror. I remember that when I calm down.
All the world’s a mirror. I remember that when I calm down.