I just got off the phone with my credit card company. I had missed a payment on a card I rarely use and simply forgot about it. When I called to explain, they told me they would make a note on my account and asked me to call back once the late fee actually appeared. I was annoyed. Why couldn’t they just fix it right then?
A few weeks later, the bill arrived, and the late fee was still there. I got annoyed again. I picked up the phone, expecting to be put on hold forever and transferred through several layers of customer service. After getting through the automated prompts, I finally reached a representative. I explained the situation, he put me on hold, and I braced myself for frustration.
But in just a few seconds, he came back and said, “I took care of that for you.”
Done. Problem solved.
My first reaction? Honestly, something like, “Finally.” And I hung up.
Hours later, I realized something important: I got exactly what I wanted, and I wasn’t even happy about it. I didn’t feel grateful. I didn’t acknowledge how quickly and easily they helped me. And the truth was, the mistake was mine. I forgot to make the payment. They helped me fix my problem, and I responded with annoyance instead of appreciation.
It made me ask myself a question:
How often do we choose to be annoyed when we could choose to be grateful?
Every day, we make emotional choices—whether we recognize them or not. We can choose frustration, or we can choose perspective. We can choose to feel wronged, or we can choose to feel supported. We can choose to walk around irritated, or we can choose to be thankful that things eventually work out.
Life gives us plenty of chances to be annoyed. But it gives us even more chances to be grateful.
The choice is ours—every single time.