Put Yourself in their Shoes!

Sometimes you don’t really know how you would feel about some situation until you are in it!

Let me explain. This week, I was driving my car on my way to the gym, waiting at the traffic lights, and all of a sudden, I get “thump” from behind. Yes, someone run up the back of me. It was not hard at all. It was just enough for me to feel it and move the car. I looked in the rear-view mirror to see a young boy looking terrified with his hands over his mouth in shock.

The lights changed, and he followed me to a safe spot on the side of the road to examine the damage. There were two small scratches (not enough to be concerned about) on the bummer. He kept apologizing and was genuinely shaken. I told him not to worry because I know how he feels!

You see, I have done the same thing a few years ago, and my experience with how I felt bumping into someone enabled me to put myself in his shoes! My experience was not pleasant though, and the reaction and behavior from the young lady I encountered left me quite shaken and distressed.  I apologized and offered to pay if there was any damage, which there wasn’t, but her instant reaction to a little bump was made into a huge ordeal. She shouted abuse and carried on like it was the end of the world because she had spilt her Coke on her top.

It didn’t end there either, but that’s another story for another time.

The point is, you get a choice with how you react at any given time to situations at work , home, and play. However, how often do you stop, take a breath, and think about how the other person might be feeling before you either jump to conclusions or take a certain view on the situation. Experience (and age) gives you a better understanding of what it might feel like to be in their shoes.

I believe in karma, and when this young man did the right thing by following me until we could pull over and apologized sincerely by offering to fix it, I told him not to worry because it was barely visible. However, I said do something for me. I said, “Remember this feeling and how it could have been much worse, and from now on, pay attention when you are driving, so it doesn’t happen again.”

Put yourself in their shoes before you judge or react. Your opinion may change if you were in their shoes.

Something to think about this month.