If you think about it, turning down the solicitor's calls turns the receptionist into your gatekeeper, your knight in shining stilettos. They save you from unwanted magazine subscriptions, rambling investments schemes and unknown 1-800 numbers. How ... nice?
No. Not nice. You are a coward and making someone totally unrelated to the situation fight your audio-battles when you could just: talk to the solicitor and tell them to take you off the list.
I just got a call, patched through from our current receptionist, that was clearly a solicitor. I said, "Um, sure, you can put them through," knowing full well that I would have to turn down this poor soul on the other end. I listened to his spiel, told him we weren't interested and thanked him for his follow up. Click. Painless and he got the point.
Grow a set and pick up the phone, won't you?
It is sick how much we are propelled into rigidity by fear. We refuse change. We hold ourselves back. We make it harder on the adapting world. We become irrelevant.
I've been there.
I used to avoid guys that asked me out more than once when I turned them down in a flaky way (I have actually used the excuse "I have to wash my hair" instead of coming out with it and saying I just wasn't attracted to them).
It's ok to say No. It doesn't have to be a personal dig on the recipient. And when people say No to you, don't take it personally. We have to learn to take on our opponents and tell them No.
So the next time you get a call from an unknown number or a name that doesn't sound familiar, just pick it up and deal with it. You can save yourself, the salesperson (or poor soul that asked you out) and the receptionist some time and grief.
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On an unrelated note, tomorrow is Mr. S's last day at his old job. He is moving on to bigger (paychecks) and better (career track) things. In honor of him gaining VP status (congratulations, Mr.!), I thought I'd make him a cake:
Or just take a picture of a cake.
Ok, that's not my cake or my picture. I do like it though.
