“You should not overwhelm people with your problems.” Over and over I heard in a seminar about networking in a country where supposedly authenticity is valued high (#Finland), as well as honesty. Who defines a problem? And who defines the level of the problem(s) before they become overwhelming?
I just want to mention that life has problems and humans can have problems.
This type of attitude is a slippery slope, and at its worst, people with disabilities, people with other responsibilities (parents, working moms, caregivers) start falling into this undesirable category in jobsearch career #success #promotion conversations, to mention just a few.
Not long ago, #women, just based on their #gender, were considered an undesirable category for #employment , and were told that they should stick to serving family and making babies, not pursuits of #career, #education, or other #intellectual #aspirations.
Be careful how you judge people and what you think about problems.
If you never had to face serious problems while at work or while navigating a career at the same time, then it is a blessing. So perhaps, since that seminar had mostly very young professionals, they lacked experience in life to have a sound judgement about problems. Life, most of the time, can hit you out of your socks so that you can barely hold on. Out of the blue. And then it is not so easy to put a fake smile to show up somewhere, like your workplace. It is not so easy to spread the fake ‘everything is great with my life’ smile, when your life is crumbling down and you are one foot in the doom.
Workspace, work, education, any part of life is where humans are, and where humans and life are, that’s where problems are. Let’s not be condemning and judgmental about people “with problems”, especially at work, but let’s create atmosphere, attitude, and systems to support people in difficult situations and still consider them valuable members of society.
If you have a negative attitude about people “with problems”, then you have to be worried that you do not become one, that you don’t have an accident or another difficult life situation which puts you in that same condemned category, according to your view on life. See, imagine if you were there…
I just want to put these thoughts out there, to add into the mass of information that if you have a problem, no need to hide it and no need to worry about people who think that you are not valuable because you have a problem or you dared to talk about it.
I want to put out there these thoughts which highlight compassion, respect, solutions, value, kindness, for all human beings, regardless of their situation.
And work spaces are not only for superhumans or very blessed humans who never have any problems.
People from any background can be successful in a workspace, in a workplace, in a career.
Be open minded and kind towards your fellow human beings, especially if you perceive they are going through a #hardship situation.
Peace!
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