I want to share a story about what happened with the landlord of our NGO office because it reflects a positive change in me since participating in the course.
When we first rented the building we had an agreement that we would initially pay less because we did not use a middle person (who typically gets a commission from the landlord for helping to rent the property). She must have forgotten this because when she came to collect her money and it was less than she expected, she was very angry and rude. I was full of emotion myself and wanted to yell right back ... - but something stopped me from trying to get back at the angry landlord in this way.
Instead I remained calm and let her vent her frustration and when she was done screaming at me I asked her to please have a seat and went to retrieve the contract and calmly gave it over to her to review. She was embarrassed and apologetic and, I think, surprised that I was kind to her despite the fact that she was not kind to me.
Surprised that I Was Kind
-Female NGO worker, C2
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