How tactful are you?

I was not having a personal driver since early this year. During these period of time, I gave myself the opportunity to drive again. To drive as fast as I like and to move wherever I wanted. Ideally I could play and act mischievously without a second person knowing. Not now anymore because I managed to employ a new young driver. Perhaps I missed my playful fun, now that a driver is besides me most of the time.

He is only twenty one of age, innocent but eager to learn. I told myself, I have to treat him like my son, groom and teach him to be a smart growing adult. Whenever I had lunch or tea with my friends, I always tried to invite this driver to eat together with us. I introduced him to my friends as he is my hero and never as a driver. Letting him feels proud to work for me. As a hero, he takes care of my live while on the road. Indirectly my live is at his hand and I considered him as a very important person to me.

Just two days ago, over breakfast together with two elderly ladies, I asked my hero this question..."Hero! Which two lady friends here is more beautiful?" The women were excited, anxious and wanting to have an answer from him. However Hero was shy and timid to say much. He shooked his head and said, "Sorry lah! I don't know what to tell." In order to save his emotion, I took over that question..."Hero! These two darlings here are both pretty, attractive and intelligence. Otherwise they would not be here with me." All of us were laughing and smiling over the food. I was sure, my two friends were not offended in anyway. Later inside the car, I explained to Hero why I threw him that question. My main purpose was to see how capable he was to encounter such situation. Luckily he did not give compliment to one lady as beautiful. By doing so, he could have offended the second woman. It was safe for him not to commit with a comment but neither was it an intelligence reply. He agreed my compliment was wonderful and nice. Equally I was happy for I had made two ladies happy with this outing and educating another younger man to understand life better.

Appreciative words are effective and how to apply them is even more important. It might take a bit of time and effort to master the useage and application of words, but certainly they will make us a more likable, lovable and a tactful person. I apply them in business to be successful and I use them in romance to be successful on love too.

Food for the thought - "Tact is the ability to stay in the middle without getting caught there" - Franklin P. Jones