Tough Skin

Picture It:  It’s Friday night.  I sit down at a school play with my daughter and her friend.  I check my email and find an email thread which has been going on for a week where a “professional” has been badmouthing me.

I mentally set this aside and enjoy the evening.  Back home after the play, I have more work to do.  But first, I have to address this email.  I think I did pretty good.  And I reflect for a minute, as I do sometimes, how this job has shaped me.

I started in real estate when the market was going down.  I’ve been accused of all sorts of things and been called all sorts of names.  I probably would have quit, except I had four reasons to keep going.  My reasons were smaller then, they’ve grown quite a bit over the years.  I had to learn, rather quickly, to have much tougher skin.

Then I had to learn to cut down on my snarky remarks.  I have spent many a day typing and deleting.  Tonight’s response didn’t have near as much editing necessary.  It helps in this case that the other person is throwing such an irrational fit . . it makes it easier to just disprove accusations while smirking inwardly as this person shoots themselves in the foot.

Tonight I am thankful for the skills learned over the years to be better at handling at character and ethical accusations just because someone else doesn’t like a number on a page.  In the absence of facts, people always seem to go personal.  But I have facts, so calling me names and stomping their foot doesn’t win here.  And I’ll be able to sleep just fine tonight with all this!