Imagine you’ve been waiting for your iced caramel macchiato at Starbucks for 10 long minutes. As if that’s not frustrating enough, when the barista finally calls out your name and you approach the counter, you notice that she prepared a hot caramel macchiato when you specifically asked for an iced beverage.

So… What do you do?

Do you slam your hands down on the counter and aggressively demand a new drink and your money back? Do you cause a scene and threaten to take your business elsewhere? Do you question the employee’s intelligence and degrade them like they’re worthless?

The behaviors listed above are just a mere glimpse into the type of situations people face at work. Believe it or not, those who work in retail, the food industry or any other customer service position deal with hot-headed people on a daily basis.

With every passing day, it seems as if people are becoming more despicable and filled with hate. Why is that? It truly takes minimal effort to be a nice person. What does anyone get out of being rude? I strongly believe that being a decent human being is far more rewarding. I mean, think about it. You have the power to alter someone’s cloudy day with just a few kind words.

So the next time your order gets messed up, take a second to think before you blow up on them and ask yourself if being rude would be worth it. Trust me, the look of relief on the employee’s face will make you glad you approached the situation with some decency. Everyone you encounter has their own demons and is struggling in some way, just like you. Forcing someone to join you in your state of misery is selfish and unnecessary. The way you act is a reflection of yourself. Your words and actions can leave a lasting impact on someone.