Here Comes That Guy

“Uh-oh. Here comes That Guy….”

“Uh-oh. Here comes That Lady….”

We all know one of them. They are the people who, when you see them coming, you feel like running for the hills. You roll your eyes. You sigh deeply. You pretend that you were getting up to go somewhere important. You feign illness. You pass out. You hide under your desk. You don a disguise.

You know the person; you know the feeling.

Have you ever considered that you, quite possibly, might be That Guy or That Lady for someone else? For a group of someone elses? It’s possible; it’s probable. Your approach just might be the low point in another person’s day. Not fair, is it? Maybe they don’t know you. Maybe they don’t even try to get to know you. Maybe you are just following orders. Or maybe you are just living into your role at work. Or maybe you behave the way you do around them because of the way they behave towards you! I mean, you’ve got friends, right? You’ve got family that adores you, right? You’ve got someone who is so happy to see you sometimes that they giggle…actually giggle…when they see you coming! Maybe it’s all about that other person, huh? Maybe they are the ones with the problem, not you!

Have you ever considered that the person you dread is a parent? A spouse? Someone’s child or sibling or best friend? Chances are that they have people who love being with them as much as you dislike it. Does that mean those other people are idiots? Or does it mean that maybe, just maybe, there’s something in you that keeps you from being able to see what all those other people see when That Guy or That Lady walk into a room. What are the chances of that? Or, once again, maybe they are the ones with the problem, not you!

It’s not easy to love everyone with whom you come into contact. It’s not easy to like all of them. It’s not easy to shutdown your filters and assume positive intent. Putting up with everyone else can be hard work. But it is easy for everyone else to put up with you. It is easy to forget that everyone has story. That every moment has a preceding moment, a preceding experience to which you may not be privy. That everyone has bad days, bad weeks, and bad months. Just like you. Bad deal, huh?

It’s a good thing you get to choose your behaviors. It’s a good thing you get to decide how you are going to treat others. It’s a good thing that you get to determine your actions and reactions. It’s a good thing that you have the ability to influence how others see you. The world wouldn’t be very fair otherwise.

Depending on who you are and where you are standing, the world is filled with idiots and jerks. Under the right circumstances, you are one of them. All you have to do is choose your way around those circumstances!