How's this for a concept:
Be nice!
No, seriously.
Living in New York City is not easy. Tons of people, everywhere, all trying to get somewhere. Tourists. Crowded sidewalks and street crossing rules that aren't followed.
We New Yorkers are pretty well-known for our gruff exteriors in our haste to get to the subway, or to work, or to the show. We want people to move out of the way, NOW.
And, once we arrive at our destination, we're aggravated from putting up with the rigmarole it took for us to get there.
So, we tend to snap at the nearest person who, of course, had nothing to do with our stress in the first place.
It is for this reason that I have changed my mindset; that no matter how stressed I am, I do my very best to just be neutral, if not pleasant, to those around me. Being human, sometimes I fail miserably.
Granted, I will likely mutter under my breath: "#$%^ tourists! Can't they see I have to get to work??" Never, of course, saying it out loud.
So what do I do when I do fail?
I try to make it up in another way. For example, wishing the foreigners I may encounter in the elevator on the way to the gym that they have a great time in NYC, wryly suggesting that they may want to increase the limits on their credit cards.
Or, extending a compliment to someone on the subway whose jacket I like. It makes me and the other person feel good that we've both had a pleasant interaction in this world of impersonality. And, perhaps, this stranger will pass it along. Who knows.
I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can change the world; I'm not an elected official (thank God!) but maybe - just maybe! - I can make the day sweeter for one person.
And that's good enough for me. Because I truly believe that what you put out there comes back to you in surprising and wonderful ways.
Try it - see what happens.
Be nice!
No, seriously.
Living in New York City is not easy. Tons of people, everywhere, all trying to get somewhere. Tourists. Crowded sidewalks and street crossing rules that aren't followed.
We New Yorkers are pretty well-known for our gruff exteriors in our haste to get to the subway, or to work, or to the show. We want people to move out of the way, NOW.
And, once we arrive at our destination, we're aggravated from putting up with the rigmarole it took for us to get there.
So, we tend to snap at the nearest person who, of course, had nothing to do with our stress in the first place.
It is for this reason that I have changed my mindset; that no matter how stressed I am, I do my very best to just be neutral, if not pleasant, to those around me. Being human, sometimes I fail miserably.
Granted, I will likely mutter under my breath: "#$%^ tourists! Can't they see I have to get to work??" Never, of course, saying it out loud.
So what do I do when I do fail?
I try to make it up in another way. For example, wishing the foreigners I may encounter in the elevator on the way to the gym that they have a great time in NYC, wryly suggesting that they may want to increase the limits on their credit cards.
Or, extending a compliment to someone on the subway whose jacket I like. It makes me and the other person feel good that we've both had a pleasant interaction in this world of impersonality. And, perhaps, this stranger will pass it along. Who knows.
I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can change the world; I'm not an elected official (thank God!) but maybe - just maybe! - I can make the day sweeter for one person.
And that's good enough for me. Because I truly believe that what you put out there comes back to you in surprising and wonderful ways.
Try it - see what happens.