I’ll take a financial angle on this, since I feel our society is a little too forgiving of the lunatics who freak out because their half caf, low fat, soy latte doesn’t have enough foam, but when is it within your rights to become rude and “lose it” when doing your finances?
I must put up a prolog that I have found in my life, that the people I have been the most rude to, usually have either come back to “haunt” me, or have become my best friends (and again, I don’t think I want to sound like I am condoning being rude for the sake of it, more along the lines of when do you need to be more assertive with people who are being rude to you).
Here are a few situations that I think you should be more assertive (maybe not “lose it”, but certainly stand up for yourself):
- When your bank thinks they can charge you $13.95 a month in a “service plan” to have the priviledge of using their bank. Remember Don’t Be Afraid to Change, you should not be paying for banking, and you need to point out the number of banks out there that offer this service for free.
- When you are owed money and someone is refusing to pay you your money. I am living that right now, when the dealership offered (after I complained to their parent company) to pay for my rental car, when my van broke down, and I have yet to see any money. Now I will call and be polite, but I will also not take NO for an answer either.
- When someone is trying to take money from you they don’t deserve. There are so many people in this world like this, from telemarketers, scam artists, door to door beggars, and others. A polite but strong NO is needed.
- When referees at basketball games don’t know how to call an offensive foul on an obvious charge! (no wait, that was for my basketball coaching blog, sorry).
So I guess I answered my own question with, don’t ever “lose it”, but, it is well within your prerogative to be assertive, strong willed, and even a little “short” with folks, but remember to be polite too. As you sow, so shall you reap folks.
