Are You Considerate of Others? Learn the Power of Pausing and You’ll Understand How It Can Help

I ran out of ink for my printer so I decided to go for a drive to the nearest office store. Not so lucky, the stored closed. Instead of heading back, I went ahead and drove the distance while it was still early. When I found what I wanted, I stood in line.

In front of me, a customer fiddled with her bag and keys, anxious to get everything done, she exclaimed how she drove from the hospital downtown, ordered a cake from the ice cream shop and decided to run a few errands before she headed back there.

I looked at the toner in my hand and felt the weight of pressure which came from rushing around. Smiled and asked her if that’s the last stop she’s making. It was my hope that she’ll at least be relieved to converse for a second. She smiled back with her eyes wide and gave out a loud sigh which let me know that yes, it was her last stop.

Quite frankly, I didn’t feel the need to rush her out of line because honestly I only had two items. Plus, I’m sure the cake she’s bringing home was going to be for a son, daughter or family member so making her move just so I can get my two measly stuff out the door wasn’t going to help much. On top of that, it was going to make me look silly. Where am I in a rush to go to? Home? That’s absurd. We both were.

So I let her take her time to put away her check, ID and grab her bags. As she fumbled with her belongings off of the counter, the cashier and I wished her a good night. For a second there, I understood the power of consideration. It helped me see the situation in another light, much of which I could use towards my blogging endeavor here.

The Beauty of Pause

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in the rush of getting around things and it’s been a long time since I’ve live in the rapid movement of life. Instead, I have been taking my time, strolling the aisle, reading the labels and enjoying the experience of comparison shopping. I have to admit, it’s a break from the long hours sitting as I troubleshoot computers and read reports all day.

Sometimes, it’s the little things you need that brings you to engage with life who happens to be more experienced or considerate of your dilemma. This brought to my mind the article Nicholas Cardot wrote about the heartwarming effects of gratitude recently. As his daughter got ill, both he and his wife decided to split up to get things done. So he went to do the shopping for the baby stuff while his wife stayed at the hospital. When he found himself stuck, he decided to ask for help.

The kind lady who helped him opened up his eyes to see the other side of the interaction, the receiving end. With that, it is no wonder that value is something which Nicholas writes about often. It is a concept of which I’ve touched on when I’ve compared the subject of blogging for search engine optimization or engaging with valuable traits. Thus, finding an outlet to which your problems can be met and knowing who can help you with that might allow you to be more aware of the receiving end.

So take the time to enjoy the beauty of pausing in your life. See the quality of relationships which surrounds you during the noise. Reach out and interact with those who need help. While this is hard to do sometimes, the fact is, it’s mostly ignored for reasons that it’s distracting. How can you know who, what, why, when, where and how?

When I covered the topic of quality distractions little did I know that it would bring us to the thought of consideration today. If you remember awhile back, I listed ways for you to challenge the noise so that you can make it beneficial for you. Now let’s align it together here.

quality distraction + consideration = understanding

When you’re practicing consideration you have to put in mind that you’re giving with your heart. Unexpected things happen and sometimes we aren’t prepare for those distractions but a bump every while and then wouldn’t kill you now would it? In fact, it only lets you see more of the possibilities which ties into your self-development as a person. Overall, if you’re not putting to good use of the distractions you’re going through everyday, what’s the point of understanding anything?

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Another way to see how being considerate can reward you is to be in someone else’s position. Michael Pedzotti wrote about this two weeks ago in trying on your visitor’s shoes. He gave his readers some pointers on how they can break the barrier for someone who’s searching for an answer online.

Many people are looking for answers and will often search for their answers online. The challenge is to work out what problems are driving them to search for those answers. When you identify those problems, you’re more than half way towards meeting their needs with a product or service you offer.

While this is true, how to go about it is a matter of perspective. Remember, you might be caught off guard. The first thing you don’t want to do is assume something even though it may be something you’ve encounter many times before. Continue to give but also be aware of how you’re receiving too.

Going back to the power of the pause, you’re more than likely going to want to look at an interaction from another point of view. When you can, that will pretty much give you a side to a picture you’ve never realize before. What you give out after that may be of a better quality. Overall, you’ve just tapped into another process.

What about you? Do you believe in the power of the pause? Have you learned how to make use of it towards your consideration?

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