The Colleague

Having colleagues is a beautiful thing.

I remember leaving school and fresh in the world, I didn’t quite understand a lot of things or how the world functioned. Getting a job and working with a bunch of people I hadn’t met before, I better understood the phrase; “welcome to the real world.”

Suffice it to say that I learn a new lesson every day. I see myself in a new way and I grow.

Today, I upset a colleague. I made a statement that wasn’t intended to spite, it was rather risible or so I thought. A cold war ensued and then I knew I had done something wrong. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I was stepping on toes, and believe me, I was innocently stepping on toes. It is true we are all petty, sadly, one is petty where the other is not.

The cold war was going to lead to a catastrophic civil war, until I sent out an invitation for a peace talk. It didn’t go as I expected, but gladly the other party withdrew ammunition.

It pained me that I was getting into relational issues with my colleagues, but then I learnt. No one is like me, will ever behave the way I do, or see things entirely the way I do. Forget that cliché sentence intro that goes thus: “if I were you, I would’ve…” Instead, being me, I became patient with other people’s weaknesses, for I figured that their struggles were my victories, and their victories, my struggles.

Being me, I became quick to forgive and move on. I was helping myself this way to stay healthy on the inside, and still see people with the eyes of love and respect I did when I first met them.

Being me, I have learnt to separate colleagues from friends- these are TWO different set of people, and should NEVER be mixed up. Never get it twisted.

Being me, I have seen that people like to be respected and may often times put their age before relating with me, so I respect the high and lowly, young and old equally. This has by far made me a better public relator, and improved my character.

Being me, I’m just going to keep growing and help others make their struggle a victory story.