Give The Benefit of a Doubt
Give The Benefit of a Doubt
ByAs you know, life is full of ups and downs. Throughout the journey you will experience instances when you’re tempted to assume the worst.
Someone might have cut you off in traffic. Someone may have even said the wrong thing to you and left you with an unsettling feeling. Or maybe you didn’t get that big break that you were expecting.
In these instances, you may find that you’re easily frustrated and tempted to get upset. But sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to give someone else the benefit of a doubt.
You see, giving someone the benefit of a doubt is much like forgiveness in that when you do so, you’re not doing it for the other person, you’re doing it for yourself. In other words if someone wrongs you, you’re giving them an advantage and as a result, you release the tension out of your mind.
I’m not saying that you should be naive and let people walk all over you. No there’s a thin line between the two. In fact, a wise man once said you must forgive but never forget. In other words, if someone offends you, give them the benefit of a doubt but take good notes and learn the signs so that you’re not mistreated again.
I want to share a story about a man at a tennis match. Just a few rows down from where he was sitting, he saw a strikingly beautiful women. So after the tennis match was over, he felt strongly urged to go up and spark conversation with her. As he walked up to her, she had her back turned and was gathering her things together. So he finally mustard up the courage to speak to her. “Hello, my name is Jerry!” he said. He then proceeded to ask her other questions when he noticed she wasn’t even turning around to acknowledge him. He was speaking in a loud enough voice for anyone to hear, but she wouldn’t even turn around to give him the time of day.
At this point, the man was making all sorts of assumptions. He was getting discouraged and assuming the worst. He thought that she was rude, inconsiderate and very arrogant. In his frustration, he said aloud with a sarcastic monotone – “What, are you deaf or something?” The moment he began to utter the phrase the lady turned around just in time to read his lips. She gave him sign-language and responded, “Bing-o!”
And yes I admit, I saw this while watching a re-run episode of Seinfield last week. Did you see it too, it was funny wasn’t it? Smile!
But the story makes a great point. Too often, we’re like Jerry Seinfield’s character, we assume the worst.
You never know what another person is going through until you spend a day in their shoes. Learn to give someone the benefit of a doubt. Maybe that lady or guy who won’t give you the time of day is deaf. Maybe the grumpy clerk at the local food market who is always in a sour mood is on the verge of throwing in the towel. He may need to hear someone tell him that everything is going to be alright.
I encourage you today to give someone the benefit of a doubt. View the glass as half full. The world is not out to get you. Decide today that you’re going to be a light in a dark world and notice the great sense of joy and fulfillment you feel as you charge forth on your journey of life!
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Author: Jarrod Clark (413 Articles)
Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Jarrod Clark, author and founder of OptimisticJourney.com and my goal for this blog is to provide inspirational messages for maintaining an optimistic outlook on life. To find out more about me, check out the About Jarrod tab at the top of the page and if you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! Thanks!
