A Lesson in Posture

My wife wanted to remodel my office which is dark and cold like a dungeon. I know she wants to do it for me because she wants what is best for me. I also know she loves to remodel, and as much as I hate to remodel my office needs an overhaul. Last night my wife came down into my office after I was done working and started to talk about what possible plans she has for the office. I didn’t want to be mister negative and thought I would let her go on about ideas and just say things like “We can see.” or “I’ll think about it.” I didn’t realize that my arms were crossed and I had a scowl on my face. I was tired after work and wasn’t really in the mood to go over plans. However, I wanted her to be happy so I listened, but I wasn’t listening the correct way. I should have been more energetic and receptive to ideas. I should have made my own suggestions. Instead I stood there and didn’t say much. I shouldn’t have ruined what should have been a great experience for her. But all I could think about was how much work it was going to take to relocate all my stuff and set up a place to work. Later that night I was laying in bed and thinking about the renovations. I planned it out in my head as to where I would set up my desk in another part of the basement and start pulling stuff out this weekend. In the morning when I saw my wife I asked if she had any totes I could use. She asked why and I said that I wanted to start moving stuff out of the office. This really upset her. I couldn’t understand why. That’s when she explained to me how my posture the day before had really taken the wind out of her sails. She didn’t think I wanted to do it, and now I was going ahead to do it without her. I didn’t think about it like that. She asked how I planned on being a motivational speaker if I don’t know how to control my posture. She was right. I did need to change my posture so that I can be more positive. Even when I’m tired I need to be aware of my surroundings and other people's feelings. It is not fair of me to not give my full attention to someone who is trying to do something nice for me. So the lesson is that you really need to self-reflect and pay attention to your posture and what you say. It really can have a negative or positive impact on other people.