Golden Rule

Many years ago I read something,(I don't remember where) that has been a great help in my life.

For over 30 years I worked in different phases of retail and had the "pleasure" of meeting and dealing with people from
all walks of life. It was like a buffet of personalities and attitudes.
My job depended on how well I responded to all of these people, and many became friends.
I owe some of my people training to my mother, my first teacher in life. When I read the item I'm going to talk about,
it all came down to the teachings of my mother and the way she lived by the Golden Rule.

The item goes like this, "Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way, that they will actually look forward to
the trip."

The message I got out of this was if we treat people the way we want to be treated the world would be a much better place
to live. This is also the jest of the Golden Rule.

In other words, no matter what we have to say to people, it can be said in a nice way. We should consider the feelings of
others before speaking.

My many years of customer service was easier to do because of the way I tried to treat my customers, and the way I trained
my employees to do the same. Patience and a warm smile worked every time, no matter what.
I no longer work with the public but when I shop as a customer I respect the person waiting on me because I have been on the
other side of the counter.

So as I finish out my life, I hope to live by the Golden Rule, and if I need to tell someone to go to hell, I'll try to make it nice as I give them my best smile.