Recently, a colleague asked me to go to our new office to receive all the supplies being delivered over the next two days. I said Sure. I drove over, walked inside, and found a huge empty room — and absolutely no chairs.
My first reaction? Where am I supposed to sit?
I instantly got annoyed. I felt inconvenienced. I wanted to call her and say, “Why didn’t you tell me there were no chairs?”But here’s the thing — I never once stopped to ask myself the obvious question:
Why didn’t I think to check that ahead of time?
I knew it was a brand-new office. I knew I was literally going there to receive the new things. Of course, chairs would be among the items arriving. I’ve lived enough life to know better — yet I reacted like a child.
And here’s the most important part: There was no point staying angry. But blaming someone else felt easier than holding myself accountable.
I had all day to sit on the floor and think about it.
Luckily, I’ve trained myself over the years to recognize when I’m wasting emotional energy. So I let it go and even laughed at myself.
But imagine if I hadn’t. I could have called her, blamed her, created tension, and damaged the relationship — all over a chair. And that damage would have been far worse than a sore back.
There’s an old saying: “A poor carpenter blames their tools.”
In life, our focus shouldn’t be on what makes us comfortable in the moment — but on who we choose to be in every moment.
Be the person who takes responsibility. Be the person others respect. Be the person who doesn’t take the easy way out and blame.
It’s not about the chair. It’s about your character.