I’m sure we have all been there. Whether it’s having a poor customer service experience, your favorite sports team losing a tough game, or something at work doesn’t go right.

Stuff like this should not ruin the rest of your day or keep you up at night.

Yesterday I attempted to bring a new printer online for my home office. This evening, when I return home, I will be bringing back the printer for a refund. The installation did not go well, and my customer service experience did not go well. In addition, one of my primary reasons for purchasing this printer was that all of the reviews I read said how easy the setup for the printer was. But, upon reflection, I am more upset at myself for letting this negative experience ruin my whole day. It caused me to miss a meeting, and, in another meeting, I was not pleasant with the other participants. (Mary, Jenny and Mark, my apologies.)

I failed to place myself in the other person’s shoes several times. I’m sure that the tech-support person I was dealing with really wanted my issues to be resolved. I’m sure the company wanted me to be satisfied with my purchase. I’m sure my internet provider wanted my printer to connect to my home network. But I let all of these negative experiences build upon one another, and I was wrong for letting that happen. I was in control of that, and I failed to control it.

So, in closing, I want to say: try not to have your negative experiences ruin your whole day. I know this can be hard to do. Understand that life happens. Also, if you think about it, when we talk about work-life balance, not letting your negative experiences ruin your day is something you can control and will help you in achieving that balance.

Be well.

Ken Meyer, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Principal, KWM HR Consulting LLC

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