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October 29, 2023

It Bothers Me

I have a co-worker who has a persistent cough.  There is nothing he can really do about it to clear it up (I have asked!)  and it causes him to cough in a very loud and long way, ever 3-5 minutes.  It just so happens that his office is right next to mine, and when I am in the office I hear him coughing constantly throughout the day.
 
At first it didn’t really bother me.  I mean there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so I just went about talking on the phone, working on my loan files, and going about my normal business.
 
But lately it has been irritating me more and more.
 
I have talked to him about his cough; I’ve tried closing my door for most of the day (makes me seem unfriendly to all my other co-workers though when I do that!); and have tried to ignore it – yet it still bothers me.
 
What else can I do?
 
Complaining to him, complaining to my boss, or just complaining to others is the thing that I want to do most. 
 
But that won’t change anything!


“Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” Jam 5:9 (NIV)


A Real Christian businessman recognizes that leading by example in this case is crucial.  As much as it bothers and irritates me… I can’t change him, I have to do something on my end to stop it from bothering me. 
 
So you know what I did?  I asked my boss if I could move my office to another area.
 
Next time you are bothered by something that involves a co-worker, make a decision to take some type of action that YOU can do and that is representative of a Real Christian Businessman.
 
Remember  – everyone is watching how we react in these situations so let’s give them all something good to talk about.