The Golden Rule

If there is any belief that I have always carried with me it is the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. I try to do this in every aspect of my life whether it be school, work, with friends, or just out and about.

On the first day of high school I was extremely nervous because it was a new place and I did not know any of the teachers who looked really big and scary for some reason. I was pretty lost that day but I always remembered the golden rule and treated the entire faculty with respect and it paid off. All the teachers treated me the way I treated them; with respect and as an adult. As my high school career went on I joined the football team where the golden rule extremely aided me. My coaches never yelled or punished me when I messed up (which was often). They would simply tell me what I did wrong and how I could improve on it. One time in a game the opposing team was just knocking us down, basically just trashing us. Even though we were losing I kept my cool and always helped my opponent up, and yea we lost, but at least when it was all said and done I felt good about how I carried myself. My coaches were proud of me for playing the game of football with respect for my opponent. Treating my opponents with courtesy even in such a rough environment as a football game showed a level of class that is not always seen amongst athletes (my coaches said that). Throughout my high school career I remembered to follow the golden rule and it always seemed to help me. Even if it was something minor like a teacher giving me an extra day to finish an assignment or a classmate helping me study after class. I believe that treating people the way you would want to be treated can help you in any part of life.

The golden rule has strongly helped me in the work place. I used to just bag groceries and make okay money, but I still did my job the best I could. I treated my managers kind and with respect and more importantly I treated the customers the same way. I even had two customers come to my store manager and say good things about me which I can credit to following the golden rule. I continued bagging for a year or so until my current manager asked me if I would like to be a stock clerk. I told him that that would be awesome because I would make more money and plenty more hours. I received my promotion because I worked hard and I treated my superiors with respect. I actually got a reputation on the stock crew as being the nice young kid (I was still 17 and everyone was in their 20’s). Being respectful and kind along with hard work netted me a large pay raise along with more hours and now I make pretty good money for a broke college student. Treating my superiors with respect earned me a solid job with solid pay (which is important because I plan on keeping this job through college). Following the golden rule really helped me out in the workplace especially one time where we were having some altercations amongst coworkers and by following the golden rule the situation was defused. I enjoy how my managers treat me as an adult and an important person in the company. They treat me the same way I treat them and that creates a good work environment, which in the end helps us as a business and helps us provide the customer with a great shopping experience.

When I am with my friends I believe my following the golden rule has really helped me build some strong friendships. I would always treat my friends kindly and help them whenever they needed help. Treating my friends like this got me through some rough times, because they were there for me just like I was there for them. One of my friends even fixed my car (and it had a TON of problems) and he did it all for free. Following the golden rule has been a very good people skill for me allowing me to make some lifelong friends.

Following the golden rule has also come in handy in random events of my life. Holding the door for someone, saying please and thank you, and other acts of kindness and respect may not have a pay off but they make me feel good about myself and I know that when I am feeling down and somebody treats me kindly it always acts as a pick-me-up. One time I helped a girl one time move her piano as a favor and shortly after we started dating. So following the golden rule has also brought her into my life which I am very grateful for.

I believe that treating others how you want to be treated really helps you in the long run, and is one of the ways to be successful in life. Following the golden rule has been a tremendous help to me in so many aspects of my life and I will continue to follow it. Not so I can get some sort of pay off from it like get a girlfriend (haha) but because I honestly feel that what goes around comes around and treating others kindly is how I want to be treated. I believe that if everyone would follow the golden rule this world can become such a more peaceful place to live in.