Did you smile today?- Flex those muscles!
How I was ‘schooled’ by someone who wasn’t even schooled himself!
Smile and the world smiles with you!
One of the few things in life, we’re lucky is contagious. A smile is the one expression that can emanate positivity and be an ice breaker at the same time. When we smile, our body releases cortisol and endorphins which besides being mood enhancers, also have a ton of health benefits like reducing stress, blood pressure and building immunity. No wonder it is believed that smiling is one of the best uses of our facial muscles!
In these stressful times, with all the work pressures, family issues and what not, we have pretty much forgotten what it is to smile. I know I have. For a while I had started to feel like smiling and being stress free is a luxury I cannot afford! But all that changed from one small experience I had at a work site. The situation and the source of that experience is what makes this little anecdote so interesting. Life lessons can come from the most unexpected of places, yet their timing is always opportune. So, just trust them and share it with others, help them benefit from your experiences.
As an Entrepreneur dealing in interior supplies, a major part of my work involves working on the tightest of schedules. The deadlines are as real and dubious as life itself!! This results in an unprecedented level of stress and pressure. It goes without saying that the execution of such jobs leaves one completely drained and irritable. The people around me also had started to notice the shift in my temperament. I was on edge almost at all times. On account of which, a new perspective to deal with such stress was a welcome change!
I have now found a life changing attitude to deal with such situations. Weirdly enough, it was on one of my sites that this experience came as an apparition. As always, we were on a tight schedule and the deadline was approaching stealthily. In consequence, tempers were running high and the project consultants were literally breathing down our necks. Since we were racing against time to finish, multiple agencies were hired to execute the set of tasks. I was entrusted with laying of various flooring products around different areas throughout the office. Fortunately, we had the materials in stock and so the delivery was managed almost immediately. This generally is half the battle won, but this time it was not be! Since the work was being carried out in such a rush, there were a lot of glitches that sprung up just like some unseen potholes that would completely throw one’s speed off!
The electrical wiring in the false ceiling above our floor area was faulty and needed some rectification. Due to which our work had to be stopped, so that the electrical agency could carry out the repair work. This meant a delay of 5–6 hours, more than we could afford. So, my team called me and apprised me of this situation. Habituated to making decisions clouded with exasperation, I decided to go on site and give the said agency a piece of my mind. Not knowing how that one decision would change my perception of life, I stormed onto the site. But, before I could even reach the said area, I was greeted with this huge commotion and a group of people gathered around the area in question. It was pretty obvious that the consultants had anticipated my reaction and took this opportunity to blow off some of their steam by deriding the laborers involved in said glitch. It was an extremely heated exchange of some really choice cuss words and threats. Among the couple of labors who stood there getting reprimanded publicly, there was one who caught my attention. He was beaming with a childish smile and there was a strange calmness about him that just didn’t seem natural in such a tense situation. I continued watching him for the remainder of the yelling and completely forgot about the inconvenience caused to me because of him.
In fact, the smile on his face seemed to beam brighter with every rise in the consultant’s voice. He was trying his level best to calm this consultant down. While accepting that the work was flawed and that they would ensure that all repairs would be carried out on priority. He insisted that it was his responsibility to make sure all the electricals worked as per requirement. After a while it was evident to even the consultant, that his temper was of no consequence with this person’s unconventional way of handling of the situation. Feeling a bit on the wrong foot, he quieted down, though with this awkward expression on his face that completely contrasted with his authority.
Now that everything had calmed down, people started getting back to their work. I remained put for a few seconds more. Wondering, what I could to say to this man! Knowing fully well, that nothing I could say would improve the state of affairs, I walked up to him. Before I knew it, I just asked him how was he so adept at handling such an intense altercation. “Was it some kind of training or management technique?” I hoped he would say…
But the truth was, he was barely even educated. Let alone trained or groomed to handle such situations. He didn’t even know how to write! Despite all this, there was something about him that didn’t justify his thought; “I’m just another unskilled labor working here.” Obviously, he didn’t know it, but his people skills would put to shame students coming out of the best of business and management schools! I just had to ask!
I can never forget his explanation and logic behind this reaction. All he said was, “I’m a simple man, going about doing my modest electrical work. I need only worry about a few wires and circuits, but this consultant has the entire project to worry about. I could never understand the pressure he is undergoing or the responsibilities he needs to manage.” He understood the hierarchy of authority. He knew there would be a superior who would also berate this consultant just like he had been by his superiors, so on and so forth. He elaborated; this world is similar to an electrical circuit. Wherein, we’re all just components of this circuit. In such situations the negative energy flowing between us needs a circuit breaker. He believed; our smiles are just that!! The minute we smile, the flow of negative energy is broken and it does not spread.
This analogy of his hit me like cold water in the face! This man who is barely educated, part of a highly unorganized and underpaid labor group, but still worldly wise. In hindsight, no amount of training or education can teach you what life’s experiences can. So, however hard the journey maybe, no matter the stress, just power through with a smile.
“Easier said than done?”