Are you putting out?

Whether or not you think so, you are. Let me break it down to you and tell you the reason for the blog before I go any further. Earlier today when I was at work a customer approached me with an item that was in the clearance aisle, but the only problem was that the item was not on clearance and when I confirmed to him that the item was not on sale he got upset and started to take out his frustrations on me, as if I personally put it there to trick him. His attitude started to affect me and started to get me heated and I could feel my blood pressure climb and forehead start to sweat. I wanted really bad to respond back with a the same attitude that he was giving me, but since my job was at stake I knew I couldn't so I just smiled and put the item back in its proper location.

The customer and I only interacted for maybe 2 minutes at most, but it was enough time to send my mind down a path it was not on in the previous 2 minutes. However I started giving my time and energy to the situation and I started dwelling on how his attitude was not right and how I wish I could have done this and I wish I could have done that and my blood pressure was still climbing after he was on his way and out the door.

Now this is the type of thing that can really ruin your day once you let it build and believe me, your mind has many building blocks to give this monster life. I had to stop myself and think "Why am I giving this stranger so much air time"? It was like his negative energy (for lack of a better term) was transferred from him to me and now I was to carry it around and give it to some poor customer that maybe just rubbed me the wrong way.

Well I stopped myself and made a attitude change and I focused my mind on the positive things of the day and I noticed with that, I was putting out positive energy and then in turn I was smiling and customers were happy to receive what I was "putting out" and they smiled back and were grateful for my help and my attitude. I was becoming more aware of my thoughts and how I was responding to what other people "put out", because whether or not they knew it they where "putting out" positive energy or negative energy. One way or another they were "putting out".  So I guess my question is not really "Are you putting out" its really "What are you putting out"

Well while I am on the subject. I have only be in retail for a year and a half and one of the things I had to get used to was a large amount of the hispanic community would ask questions like "You guys don't have" or  "You don't know" and it was always starting of with the negative. Now before you say anything bout me being racist I am part mexican and so is my wife and really most of my family, but any way... I started to notice that I was less likely to drop what I was doing to or go the extra mile when I was approached this way because the suggestive / leading question had me believing that we "didn't have" and I "didn't know", it was throwing me off. Its almost like they were preparing themselves for a let down or something, like If I was to say "No we don't have it" they could be like "Well I knew you didn't", but most of the time they were things we DID have in stock. They were putting out a negative right from the jump and that subconsciously took my mind down a negative path, until I realized it and started to tell myself that they are really asking for "this" and I gotta give it my all to find it for them.

So now that the cat is out of the bag and everyone knows you put, try to be more aware of what you are putting out. Nobody wants to catch your nasty STD....