When you work with someone who annoys you, they can seem devastatingly awful. So awful that it can send you into a depression. Trust me - - it has happened to me.
Maybe it’s an annoying client who won’t stop emailing you, a co-worker who loves to click his pen all day long, or a boss who puts way too much work on your desk.
But as soon as you take away the annoyance, you miss parts of the experience. You miss the challenge that this annoying person created. It’s very much like a horror movie. You watch it to scare the living heck out of yourself because once it’s over, life seems so much better. This relief can be addicting.
My new friend Tammy left a great comment about this concept:
Running my own business means I don’t have the day-to-day contact with an office full of work colleagues, so my friends do get all the work chatter too! I think being an entrepreneur, your life gets a lot less compartmentalized anyway.
I know there’s a lot of problems with office politics and the like within office environments, but honestly, now and then I do think I’m missing out on a chunk of popular culture by not having an over-enthusiastic stationery cupboard manager in my life; or a particularly zealous health and safety warden confiscating my scissors!
She misses the crazy people because they add spice to the workday. After reading her blog I would say she is happier not having to deal with the “over-enthusiastic stationery cupboard manager,” but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss him.
When you notice something annoying you today, try to step back and feel the uniqueness of the situation. What type of sensations are happening? Are you letting your anger get the best of you? These overwhelming emotions can teach you so much about yourself.
So remember to watch, listen, and learn from what irks you because when it’s all gone you’ll want to bring back the pain. 😉 Because at least they challenged you to work on your emotional development.
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If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like this one too:
Hi Karl
LOl - funny cartoon.
Hmm...I can't say I miss any of the politics or "interesting characters" at my old work. Too much drama, I prefer a more peaceful approach 🙂
There was one co-worker in particular, who depending on his mood, made for some trying conversations. At first it was entertaining, then I took it exactly as you noted "a challenge to grow" and then I just said enough. The person's energy was so heavy and if I wasn't conscious had the power to really throw my mood and energy off track.
So I guess it all depends on personal preferences - but in the end, I guess some boundaries are a good idea between co-workers too.
Hi Karl,
I'm with Evita on this one--I don't miss the politics or the "interesting" characters. I've got a low thresh-hold for pain, so once I've learned from a painful experience I have no desire to invite any part of it back into my life, thanks all the same. 😉
I must admit I did have a chuckle reading about Tammy's experience with the overzealous occupational health & safety officer who confiscated her scissors. Now that's the kind of insanity that is quite funny in retrospect and would make great material for a fictional account of office politics and interesting characters.
Have a great day, everyone.
It's funny how we can miss the familiar whether it was annoying or a genuine joy.
Hi Evita, I'm working on my drawing skills. It's been a lot of fun. I can see why you wouldn't want to deal with that person again. It is all about preferences.
I bet you learned a lot from that person.