We are currently living in a society which seems to have lost its way. Many are beginning to realize that in their quest for money and material objects, they sacrificed “wealth” and are now realizing that they are bankrupt, either financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually.
The current financial crisis is just a symptom of a greater crisis we have either experienced or exhibited: a crisis of courtesy. As a society we have become so self absorbed in the “what’s in it for me mentality” and “it’s someone else’s fault or problem” that we have lost sight of the responsibility we have to each other. We are provided a great opportunity in this “crisis” to reassess our values and our actions. What impact would it have on our society if each of us made a conscious effort to be courteous to the people that we came in contact? 
Webster’s Dictionary defines courteous as,“marked by respect for and consideration of others”. The two qualities that demonstrate courtesy: respect and consideration are both very powerful. Respect can be defined as,"giving high or special regard". Consideration can be defined as “thoughtful and sympathetic regard.” Regard is defined as; “care” and care can be defined as, “interest or concern for.” By definition, acting courteously toward others demands that we place high importance on individuals and that we exhibit care and concern for the other person. There is a shift from selfish to selfless.
* How often have we neglected the common courtesy of returning a person’s phone call or not taking a few seconds to respond to their e-mail?
* How many times have we heard of the mad rush to a department store in which someone is injured as a result of a sale?
* How many times have we prevented someone from entering our travel lane or we have tried to force ourselves in to the travel lane to get ahead of someone else?
* Our news is filled with stories of individuals and companies that have demonstrated a concern only for themselves. Although there may be a period of time where the consequence of our actions is not experienced, payment is eventually demanded regardless of the size of the violation.
What would happen if we demonstrated simple courtesies to each other such as:
* returning a phone call
or an email
* letting someone in line or not trying to get ahead of someone in line
* holding a door for someone
* saying “thank you” or “please,”
* volunteering your time to someone in need
* not passing judgment on someone else or
* demonstrating compassion.
To be courteous requires an exercise in humility as well as a belief in abundance. In being courtesy you demonstrate the importance and value of those around you in high regard as well as an understanding that there is enough for everyone.
It has been said that our actions are like boomerangs, they deliver back with amazing accuracy what we put out. Many are also familiar with the law of the harvest in that we reap what we sow. How often have we ignored the natural laws of either the boomerang or the harvest? Just as you will not get corn if you plant peas: you will not get abundance and peace if you plant greed and disharmony.
We are fortunate that we have the ability to decide what we throw out to society and what we plant. With proper action, attention and patience, the laws do not deviate in the end. We will reap abundance if choose to plant acts of courtesy and release our boomerangs with acts of respect and consideration for others.
Patrick C. Veroneau, B.A., Life Potentials Practitioner, iPEC Coaching. Certified Genos Emotional Intelligence Assessments and Workshops.
Patrick enjoyed a successful career in sales for more than 15 years. During that time he was also was a passionate student of personal development as well as a competitive athlete. Many times excelling, sometimes struggling, but always striving to improve. His diverse selling background includes the tax and payroll industry, commercial real estate market and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. It was in those markets that he developed a formidable skill set in building rapport, creating trust, utilizing the power of influence with integrity, mentoring, coaching and public speaking.
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