Perspective Influences Attitude

Aug 15
10:15

2017

Nate_Marks

Nate_Marks

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The other day, I was in an office building and observed an office worker (let’s call her Meg) getting upset at the cleaning person (let’s call him Tony) because Tony was making too much no...

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The other day,Perspective Influences Attitude Articles I was in an office building and observed an office worker (let’s call her Meg) getting upset at the cleaning person (let’s call him Tony) because Tony was making too much noise while he was trying to doing his job.  I was struck by how frustrated Meg seemed, and that was reflected in her attitude towards Tony.  Meg didn’t speak very respectfully to Tony, yet Tony didn’t seem bothered.  In fact, Tony seemed like how Meg treated him was an everyday occurrence.  Potentially, if the two spoke to each other, they could work it out.  But, it was obvious that neither side would approach the other and that what I observed would continue without either party trying to change it.

Tae Yun Kim talks about how people that are in the cleaning/maintenance industry have an amazing responsibility to make the environment they maintain beautiful.  A lot of people might consider their job duties entail cleaning up other people’s messes, but with just a small change in perspective, what they do is so much more than just cleaning up messes.  I thought about when I used to work as a bus girl in a restaurant.  My perspective was that I was throwing away other people’s garbage, and thus my attitude reflected that type of limited thinking.  I didn’t enjoy the work, and I probably wasn’t very friendly.  However, a small change in my perspective would have resulted in me having a more positive attitude.

“I’m here to throw away your garbage” is so vastly different than “I’m here to make your dining experience more pleasant”.  To me, the difference is perspective and attitude.  If I’m thinking about myself first, then I’d see busing a table as dealing with someone else’s garbage, which is how I viewed it at the time.  If I’m thinking about the customer first, then I’d see busing a table as making the experience more pleasant for customer.  And, I’d probably would have made more in tips.

 

I started to make a point to greet and talk to the people that are responsible for beautification where I work.  At first, there was hesitancy on the side of the beauticians.  But, after me reaching out to them for several days, they started conversing a bit with me.  I realized that they probably don’t get a lot of people trying to engage them in conversation, other than to tell them to be quiet or come back later.  And, their work is motion driven, so they can’t stand around and chat too much, but this small act of acknowledgement and kindness probably does do a little bit to make their day better.  Which, in turn, could lead to more productivity.

I was reminded of how Tae Yun Kim teaches to treat each person as if they know more than I do, with respect and kindness, not arrogance.  Respect is a huge tenet of Dr. Kim’s Jung SuWon Martial Arts Academy, and each of Dr. Kim’s businesses.

 

Read the original on Tae Yun Kim’s official website or read another similar Tae Yun Kim article next.