"What is this? This misalignment is unacceptable! I want it to be corrected and submit to me again today."
"Misalignment again? It's just 0.1cm and you want to me redo the whole thing? This is insane!""
Three years ago, when I was still in my first company an extreme detailed-oriented person and a perfectionist was my boss. I was assigned to design presentations for my clients.
Frankly speaking, she is an epic masterpiece. Never I've known someone like her before.
She's the main player in causing misery in my previous career.
Working with an extreme perfectionist is tough. She expects perfection from everyone, including me of course. Every slide I've submitted to her has to be perfect, flawless. But perfection is an illusion, it doesn't exist in my dictionary! This is how her perfectionism looks like,
"Color tones has to be the same."
"Alignments must be symmetrical."
"When slides are changing, the boxes has to be in the same place for all slides. Nothing shall move."
"Titles has to be in the same exact location in all slides."
"Text boxes has to be aligned to the top."
And a lot more requirements. What pissed me off was no one going to read my presentations made out of blood, sweat and tears (not blood but sweat and tears yes). I am spending my valuable time doing things that no one will ever appreciate plus a boss who does nothing but pulls me down.
Fast forward to my current company, I work in Customer Care department as a Customer Service Engineer.
I used to get "demotivating" calls. What are "demotivating" calls? Those customers who demotivates you and you just feel like escaping from calls.
Customers who shouts at you for no reasons, or reasons that aren't caused by you.
Customers who just don't listen and takes up 1 hour to fix 5-minute problem.
Customers who can never be satisfied no matter how many extra miles you do for them.
Customers who never appreciates your kindness.
These kinds of customers just make me question myself "Why am I even here?". They're like fire fighters and I am the fire, trying my best to stay kindled and yet they're putting it off again and again.
"Where the hell am I supposed to find my fuel to stay fired up!?"
The fuel is closer than I thought. It's me.
My heart, to be precise.
That's because until recently I have started a very interesting practice. I am not sure if it's because of what I'm practicing that I no longer pick up any "demotivating" calls. I am really clueless, but here's what I did,
Whenever a call or a chat comes in, I will say these magical words to them (before i pick up the call or chat),
I bless you
I forgive you
I love you
I say and I mean them. Like something in my heart extended my compassion to someone whom I haven't met or spoken to. I felt something has lifted. I don't know what it is but I felt lighter and easier to communicate with them. I started to treat my customers with compassion and kindness.
Ever since, I've been getting almost 0, I said ZERO demotivatings calls and those calls are always assigned to my other colleagues. I am not sure if the universe is doing its work but I'm happy :)
Compassion and kindness cannot coexist with hatred and other negative emotions.
I did the same to my boss. I imagined her body stature standing right in front of me. I look into her eyes and say,
I bless you
I forgive you
I love you
Continuously for next 7 days, I do the same every morning. I will imagine her and say those magical words to her. Slowly, day by day, it's like a burden in me is fading. I felt lighter and lighter. I would imagine it like a poison that's been circulating in my blood veins for such a long time and it's slowing churning away my life force.
Those magical words is the poison's antidote.
At the end of the day, I no longer have any resentment towards anybody, everybody. I bless, forgive and love everyone I met, talked to and chat with.
I'm sure you have someone in your life that you have negative emotions with. Fear, anger, disappointment, hatred and more. Those are poisons in your body. The poison is slowly eating your life force and at the same time, intensifying those negative emotions.
Simple daily practice on compassion and kindness is the antitode to negative emotions.
Start by saying,
I bless you
I forgive you
I love you
to every person who you meet, spoken to or chat with. Magic will happen to you, just like how it happened to me.
Small Daily Practices is Tifa's mission to invite you to live an extraordinary life. She is not an expert, not a coach, not certified but learning is constant for her. She shares what she has learned in hope that you live your version of extraordinary life.
You will find her past works on Simple Daily Practices below,
Why did she started this?
| Relationship | Personal Mastery |
|---|---|
| "I am grateful for I ..." | Check-in With Yourself |
| After Check-In, You Check-Out |
She invites you to live an extraordinary life, starting from making each day extraordinary. Simple Daily Practices is the key she has discovered.