A young woman was waiting for her flight at a big airport, so she decided to buy a book and a packet of cookies. She sat down in a VIP lounge to read in peace. A man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading. When she took out the first cookie, the man took one also. She felt irritated, but said nothing.
For each cookie she took, the man also took one. This infuriated her, but she didn't want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she thought to herself, "What will this rude man do now?"
Then the man, taking the last cookie, divided it into half, giving her one half. That was too much! In a huff, she took her things and stormed off to board the plane. When she sat down in her seat on the plane, she looked into her purse, and to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there, untouched and unopened. She felt so ashamed. She realized that she was wrong.
The man had shared his cookies with her willingly, while she had been very angry, thinking that he was helping himself to her cookies. And now there was no chance to explain herself, nor to apologize.
Have you ever lost your cool and then realized later that you were in the wrong? I'm sure that most of us have. Let's save ourselves some embarrassment and make sure that we are in possession of all the facts before reacting.
Dale Carnegie said: "When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotions."
Actor Will Smith expanded on that, saying: "[W]e do not care what's true. We care how it feels."
We all get angry at work sometimes. If your buttons get pushed, you might need to practice some relaxation techniques so you don't lose control. According to the American Psychological Association, a few simple relaxation tools can help calm angry feelings such as deep breathing; choosing a calming phrase like "Relax" or "Take it easy" and then repeating it to yourself; visualizing a relaxing experience; and practicing slow, yogalike exercises to relax your muscles and calm your nerves.
