Looking for good in people

I have to admit that I'm not a "people person". That doesn't mean I'm a recluse or anything. It just means I don't enjoy working with the public and I'm not a very social person. I prefer quality over quantity and I allow very few people into my life as far as getting close. That's just the way I've always been. But even people like me have to be around other people every day and it's important to be able to interact successfully with people. I've always been challenged in that department. In the past, I've found dealing with people to be quite exhausting and frustrating. But I think that is because of the mindset I've had about it. Like most people, I've had a number of "bad" experiences with people and I guess I've tended to focus on them and magnify them in my mind. Remember, what we focus our attention on is what gets bigger in our lives. So I've decided to, again, shift my focus when it comes to people. Yes, I've had bad experiences, met rude obnoxious people, been hurt, been ripped off, been taken advantage of. BUT, I've also had some really good experiences with people as you've seen if you've read my other posts. So starting yesterday, I've decided to try an experiment. I decided that I'm going to practice looking for something good in every person I come in contact with. So far today, I haven't been around anybody. So I'll tell you about yesterday.

The first person I saw yesterday was my neighbor. He was out with his dog when I was out with mine. What I saw good about him is that he's always the same person whenever I see him. Not moody or anything. I always know he'll be friendly. And he likes my dog so that makes him a good guy! :)

The second person I saw was my customer's husband. Well, I guess he's my customer too but I rarely see him and it's usually the wife that I deal with. He was outside putting up Christmas lights when I pulled up to their house. What I saw good about him was that he's got a really sweet, mild personality even though he's a Major in the Marine Corps. I always think of Marines as being gruff and tough. And he seems to be a really good father too. And very respectful to me.

The third person I had minor contact with was a lady at the grocery store. She and another lady were standing near the register and I asked if they were in line. She laughed and said "No we haven't figured this out yet!" And I saw that they had found some kind of Santa thing they were trying to figure out and they were chuckling about it. That made me chuckle too. Their laughter was contagious. That was good!

Next was the cashier. She had a big smile and was very friendly, which is NOT the norm where I live. There were some samples of Christmas candy on the counter and I asked her what they were and she laughed and said they were soooo good and she keeps eating them herself even though she's not supposed to. I said maybe I shouldn't even try them and we laughed together. She had a charming accent and a good sense of humor. I enjoyed the brief contact with her.

I had another house to clean in the afternoon and the customer is not a very pleasant person to be around. He's really gruff, unfriendly and sometimes downright rude. I wasn't looking forward to seeing him and wondered what I could find good about him. But I found something good! He wasn't there!!!! LOL! I"ll work on finding more good about him and report back later! :D

After I left his house, I came straight home because the weather was getting crappy. So no more people for the day. I think my experiment went well. Hopefully, if I continue, it will become a habit to look for good in people. It sure would make life more pleasant, I know that! I invite you to join me in the experiment and contribute your comments here on my blog or email me privately at jjoannhurst@aol.com