A Win-Win World

Today, I'm taking a break from work. That means I'm now loitering at a cafe with my laptop, book, journal and pens. It's good to be able to sit back on a Friday afternoon and reflect on the work week that has gone by.

I've been thinking a bit on the people I deal with on a daily basis at work and am grateful that all my colleagues are extremely friendly and helpful. I've always enjoyed interacting with people because everyone is unique and interesting. Even difficult ones. This is because I treat people like interactive books. There's always something you can learn from someone you interact with. 

If I encounter a difficult person, I would try to empathise with his or her situation. Perhaps the person had had to deal with the same question and situation for the umpteenth time that day and felt absolutely tired of it. How could you help to alleviate the person's situation? What could you say or do to make the person feel better about the interaction? Humility and empathy always help. It is childish to exert privilege or authority. Everyone is just trying to get by and life can be rough sometimes.

Humour, if tastefully and subtly injected, always helps. Why take things so seriously? To me, work is not a career; it is simply a way to work out your karma. Every difficulty situation you encounter is an opportunity for you to address some of your own weaknesses. A situation is difficult because some of your weaknesses are exposed. Overcoming it will allow you to acquire the skill to handle it with ease in the future. So be thankful that you have your 'bugs' highlighted to you.

It is true that sometimes we feel a sense of injustice at work. For example, if a colleague takes credit for the good and hard work that you have done. He or she gets the praised by the bosses and perhaps even gets promoted because of it. How would you handle this?

My attitude towards these things is very simple.  I have complete trust in karma. What's due to you will come, at the right time, in the right form. If others get credit for your work now, it's simply because you are not meant to have it now. There's probably a bigger prize down the road. In any case, my attitude towards work is never to expect any praise or reward. Those things are bonuses that, if they do come, one should receive them with gratitude and humility. Not with egoistic pride nor a sense of entitlement.

I've mentioned it before in previous blog articles that the true reward of work is work itself. Every time we work, we receive its reward immediately. Whenever we exercise our knowledge and skill to handle a task, we strengthen our mastery of it, our knowledge is reinforced; the neural network in our brain expands and strengthens its existing connections. It's another bicep curl. You come out a fitter person. That's your reward and no one can take that away from you.

You can never lose in work, if you approach it with a sincere desire to learn. Every difficult person you encounter is a test of your skill and creativity. Tackle it with grace and gratitude. You will never come out a loser. If the person you deal with is rude and unhelpful, it is the person's problem, not yours. You might not be able to accomplish what you set out to do, but you get a chance to explore a workaround. 

The best lessons in life are learned indirectly and unconsciously. You will help the person, if you do not answer rudeness with rudeness. He or she will be surprised if you do not react in the way expected. Patience and kindness will melt the toughest heart. You would have subtly taught the person a valuable lesson. Every interaction with someone is a win-win situation.  Approaching life that way will make the you a happier person and the world a better place. Let's all learn to live in the WWW--that wonderful Win-Win World.