Forgiveness is a tricky thing. Growing up, when I would get in a little tiff with a friend or family member I would let any ounce of frustration get to me. I would change my attitude and act sad, mad, or angry, just so the person I was having a conflict with would be forced to say, "I'm sorry," but honestly, that isn't really how it ended up most of the time. I hope I don't come off as a person who was constantly in silly arguments with people, because that's not the case. It's just that as I've gotten older that I've come in contact with people who will rub me the wrong way. This is really inevitable, especially as you get older.
I'm a journalist, so I am always talking to people, and I know it's very hard to believe ;). Anyways, my job is stressful and I work with a lot of people who are also stressed out, so the combination of the two makes a brewing cauldron of heightened emotions. On a weekly basis, I am faced with sources who don't call me back, technical difficulties and sometimes unhappy colleagues, which all leaves room for arguments, grudges and aggression. This happens doesn't just happens in the newsroom, it happens at school, at work, with friends and family, it happens everywhere! Recently I had a conflict with someone, I won't say who for the protection of their privacy, but it really upset me. It concerned a story of mine, which I worked hard to get and produce. Anyways, there was an altercation between this person and myself. Usually I would have let it go and not say anything, but disclose every minute detail to a friend or family member, but I would never confront the person I had the conflict with. Last week someone I look up to explained to me when you should speak up and when you should move on. When someone is having a bad day and they snap at you, that's an example of letting it go. Obviously if that person says something extremely hurtful and out of line then it should be addressed to them, but if it's a one time deal then it's probably not worth letting it ruin your day, and that's to keep you feeling sane! However, if there is a constant problem and a person makes you feel a negative way on a consistent basis, then that's when you should speak up. Call that person out, tell them how you're feeling and how you want to and deserve to be treated. Don't let yourself feel inferior to them, because you're not. This is exactly what I did this past week with the person I was frustrated with. I had too many similar experiences like this one and I couldn't stay silent over it any longer, I had to voice my opinion and say how I felt and I'm really glad I did. It was a relief and I felt like I had finally stood up for myself and my work, as you should always do to. If you believe in something, don't let it go to the wayside because someone else tells you otherwise. I promise this story ties in with forgiveness, so lets get back to that. The reason I bring up this conflict I had is because the old Brooke would have let it eat away at herself, even after addressing it to the person. The old Brooke maybe wouldn't have even spoken up about her feelings with fear that she would feel embarrassed or under-appreciated. I have moved past those feelings because I'm learning to forgive.
2 Comments
Ricardo
1/10/2017 09:00:07 am
I work in a similar field of media, not TV but radio and what's surprised me the most about this is the amount of times I've had to forgive and forget in a sense. We work in this job involving "communications" and yet at times it feels like we have the worst communication ever.
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Brooke
1/10/2017 01:31:55 pm
Hi Ricardo, thanks so much for sharing your feedback. I know how hard it can be to speak up, especially if it doesn't go the way you hope. I believe to keep pushing forward and maybe working on ways to make your voice more effective when you do speak up. That's something I'm always trying to work. I'm always asking myself, "how can I make myself sound more clear and be more direct?"
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