Page 41 - Kindness - No Forward

Check Your PEZ…and Theirs

I had an assistant once who would occasionally catch me not paying full
attention to something she was saying. When she did, she would flick her
thumb in her fist, to remind me of the PEZ. It was her way of saying “Hey!
My problem right now is as important to me as your problem is to you but I
need help!” She was right and it worked.

It’s time to check our PEZ and remember the other person’s PEZ as well.

Our problems and concerns are all different. What’s at the top of our
concerns could be way down the stack for someone else. While one
person’s main concern may be getting a job done fast, another person
could consider the cost of finishing the job as far more important. For
effective communication, both of these concerns need to be understood
and empathized with.

Be Thankful for the Problems You Have

Incidentally, keep in mind that many of the problems which find their way
to the top of our PEZ are the problems of Kings.

The roof is leaking and will cost money to repair. Thank goodness for the
roof: 95% of the world’s population wishes they were well-housed enough
to even have a roof like that. The same thing goes for stalled cars,
outgrown clothes, and cold pizza.

Be thankful for the opportunities to have those problems.

Most of us are so fortunate; we don’t know what problems really are.