Your Experiences

Self-Discovery in the Workplace

By Venia
Athens, Greece

I have seen that interacting with people in my working environment makes me feel and act in various ways, whether good, bad, or even confused sometimes.

I work for a company and every day I have to speak with many people. Some time ago when I was talking with a client about a financial arrangement, I caught myself giving him an offer which was much more attractive than it should have been and was out of the desired framework of the company. The truth is that I didn’t realize why I did that thing, since there wasn’t any obvious reason and my client would have been satisfied with a less attractive offer. Something like that could have had a bad impact on my job.

So, I did a retrospection in order to see how the scene developed from the beginning to the very end. I was surprised to see how many emotional situations were fighting each other inside of me while I was talking with my client. I saw hidden thoughts and feelings defining my behavior; negative states such as fear, pride, and a desire to be accepted – and others which left a bad taste inside me – became so clear through retrospection. I saw how all these states, in a smart and subtle way, led me to this specific reaction. I wanted to go further back and I remembered similar situations that had happened in the past. Basically, it was the same psychological device that made me repeat the same mistakes. I felt that I had discovered something significant!

The following day I had to meet some clients again. Having observed these defects the previous day, I was better prepared for them and I knew the conditions under which they would take the chance to come out. I was on alert to spot them. What happened next was that in the critical moment in which they were ready to appear I stopped their route on time, before they could take control of the situation.

Then I realized that when you know what happens inside you, what exactly incites your actions and comprehend how you are being controlled by your various sentiments – and the damage they cause you – then you know enough to get away from the usual actions and prefer better ones.

That day I had more clarity and I could find solutions which were satisfying for both sides: the company and the clients. I could discern more easily what the right thing to do was, without being restricted by internal forces.

It has become an essential need for me to dedicate some of my time to look back on past events and observe the different sides of myself. Retrospection is so simple an exercise which can help me in my self-comprehension. Exploring oneself can help in finding the answers…