*Insert something witty/creative here*

In my time working at the Help Desk, I've talked to a lot of people that were upset.

Some of these people, outside of the particular situation in which I interacted with them, have loads of people who testify to their cheery, big ball of sunshine attitude. Which makes me wonder, what are they really like?

I know that sometimes people just have off days, or get frustrated, but I also know that when every time someone calls they are rude, it's hard to chalk it up to a bad day.

I'd like to think that when I'm asking someone for their help, I am calm and considerate. I also know that can't possibly be the case, because I am a human being, and I am not perfect.

It's frustrating when the person I'm asking for help doesn't understand my problem right away, but I also know from being on the other side, that it's hard to know what the problem is when I can't see the computer screen, just as the people who help me can't see the whole picture either. All they've got to go on is what I tell them, just as all I know about the problem is what the person on the phone tells me.

I also need to understand, as the person giving help, that the person on the other end of the line may not be computer savvy. Sometimes it's easy for me to get frustrated with problem. I need to remember, from being on the receiving end of help, that all I know is what the person helping me is telling me. The relationship between the person being helped and the person helping is one in which each participant is very dependent on the other.

I need to keep this in mind not just at work or when I'm receiving help, but whenever I interact with someone else. When I ignore someone smiling at me, they don't know it's because I'm grumpy. They might think I don't like them. When someone doesn't wave back at me, I don't know it's because they're focused on something else, I think that they don't feel I matter to them.



I'm going to make an effort to be more conscious of the people around me, and even more conscious of myself.