We can sit here and tell people that we’ve been so busy we couldn’t get back to them but I call bullshit. I’m guilty of this too, some of the more accurate explanations of why we don’t respond are: 1) we’re afraid to say no to someone 2) we’re unsure of what to say 3) we forgot 4) we’re afraid, worried, or stressed about the potential reason someone contacted us or 5) we don’t like the person that reached out to us so we’re putting them on the back burner.
I’ve been trying harder to respond to everything that comes my way, and to be completely honest, all the above excuses I listed have been accurate for me at one time or another except number five; I will respond whether I like you or not. So the take away here is this, get in the habit of responding…everyone deserves that respect!
You’re so right, Matt. A response is only common courtesy. Just because someone reaches out via technology (email, tweet, comment, voicemail, etc.), it should be no different than them saying something to you in person. You wouldn’t ignored someone right in front of you, so to do so for any other reason just won’t fly.
As they say, treat others as you’d like to be treated 😉
Amber, I appreciate the comment…I may be old fashioned, having been raised primarily by my grandparents, but I feel the human interaction (listening, responding, having compassion) is vital to learning and growing and giving. You are very right, we would not ignore someone right in front of us, but for some reason the technology we now have makes us feel as though we can filter or not respond to certain things…but all people deserve our attention, at least for a moment. Cheers, and thanks again!!