One of the greatest lessons in remaining calm is this:
If someone emails you and writes things that gets your blood boiling...
... whatever you do... DO NOT respond right away.
We have tendency of instantly getting jolted and want to give them a piece of our mind.
Don't. Just don't.
Believe me, you'll regret it.
I'll never forget...
About 5 years ago, someone forwarded an email to me that was accusatory and completely fabricated. I supposedly did this and that and was the world's worst
person.
Now while I don't normally waste my time with people's nonsense (and probably wouldn't respond), I am extremely protective of my reputation. I wouldn't stand for it.
So, I sat at the computer -- fuming -- and started writing the most scathing email in the history of scathing
emails.
Just as I was about to click send, something (or Someone) stopped me. Perhaps Divine intervention.
I walked away from my desk and went for a drive.
I needed the alone
time. I just wanted to distance myself from what I has just read... and wrote.
When I returned...
I reread the draft and thanked God I hadn't sent it.
It was a blistering, unkind and waaaay overly aggressive.
I had overreacted. I needed to pull it back. A LOT.
I revised the email and realized I would get a lot more accomplished by using a strong, yet more diplomatic tone.
And thank God I went that route because the matter had largely been a misunderstanding.
I think back -- what if I had sent the email as originally written?
It would have been tragic at best and a catastrophe at worst.
So, My Advice?
Allow for yourself some cooling off time -- an hour or two (or even longer). Take a walk or take a drive and pray about it.
Do something that might possibly get your mind off of
it.
I can almost guarantee you that your knee-jerk response will be largely out of proportion.
