You feel horrible! That's what it is.
And you would never understand this feeling unless you experience it for yourself. But that is not what my whole sharing is about.
A few days back, I was out arranging for a video shoot project for a client. I was to assist, direct and monitor the whole shoot while my friend did the video shooting. It was my very first experience in the production field and I felt so excited.
I kept on taking pictures of everyone there - the crew and the main cast. I made it a point to constantly update about the happenings of this shoot on my Facebook page.
I thought the more I posted my updates on Facebook, the more people would notice my company and what I was doing. Though it was not much, Clicking Pens was getting likes every now and then. It made me feel happy knowing that I am getting better about showcasing my services to the people out there.
After the shoot, we packed up and left for the next job of the day. Which is another video shooting cum recording project. But this time, I would be the one on the limelight as I was to host a program called ET Youth.
My friend and I reached the location, unpacked our stuffs and began to set up for the shoot. As the host, I went through the topic of the day.
Then, my mentor walked in. As he was taking a seat at the refreshment table, he asked, "How was the shoot?"
I was prepared to say how awesome it was and how good I felt doing all of it.
I said, “The shoot was good!” and went on explaining about the day.
Suddenly, he said, "Sorry to be harsh but the truth is you wasted your time posting all your updates on Facebook. It was a total waste of time."
I was taken aback by his comments and was definitely embarrassed. Least I felt was glad there were only few people in the room at that time.
He said my picture wasn't on it (because I was taking pictures of everyone else except mine) and so, no one knows what your company does. Nobody knew my role when actually, I played a very important role on that day.
I was almost on tears listening to all of this. Here I was, thinking that my mentor was going to congratulate or compliment me for a good job. But ended up listening to some very harsh and sarcastic comments which made me feel so dumb.
It took me a while to digest all the comments. I was very quiet and didn't speak to anyone for sometime. I couldn't make myself to feel better after listening to the comments.
'How could he say such a thing?', was my first thought.
'Why must he say these things now?', was what I thought next.
And then it came to me all of a sudden. There must be a reason why he said it. And why he said it at that time.
'What am I suppose to learn from this?', I thought, finally.
1. I realize he was teaching me to improve myself to be better every time. I mean, it makes sense,right? Who would know what my business services are if I don't show or tell it to them?
2. Also, I understood that similar situations may occur in the near future. Something or someone may make my emotions go in a whirlwind just when I'm about to deal with a client, host a program or plainly, do my job. He was teaching me to stay balanced, especially with regards to my emotions.
On that day, if I had showed my depressed or angry emotion throughout the program I was hosting, I would have been categorized as the worst host on the planet.
My mentor was just teaching me how to handle my emotions. And instead of looking at how he said his comments, his reaction or the words he emphasized on, he was teaching me to look for the lesson behind all of it.
After a long 15 minutes of analyzing the situation, I switched back to my happy and excited mood. True enough, I had a fun time hosting that day. It gave out a very cheery feel, from the surrounding and even the people there.
At the end of the day, when everyone headed home, I took a moment to speak to my mentor.
I said, "Thank you for saying those things earlier."
And I meant those words, genuinely.
