Just imagine my surprise when I returned home to find all of my wardrobes had been emptied.
"Oh no, I think we've been burgled," exclaims my husband, Seamus.
After an initial reaction of shock and horror it finally dawned on me how the curious case of the empty wardrobes had come to be. I recalled an unusual text message I’d received from our new housekeeping assistant earlier in the day.
It read something like: 'I couldn't get everything finished because I didn't have enough bags'
My attention was then drawn to the plastic bags on the floor of every room. They were packed full of practically every item of clothing we own.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I took a deep breath and put the situation in perspective. I then let out a little chuckle as I recalled how my instructions to “put away” all the clothes “including the ones in the bags” had been misinterpreted.
It turned out that the language barrier had duped us both. However, after a brief moment of panic, I saw the funny side of how simple instructions can sometimes be lost in translation. My wonderful housekeeper - although a little embarrassed at first - also enjoyed a good laugh with me about it when she arrived the following week.
I had simply taken it for granted that she understood and she did her best to carry out what she believed were her instructions. It was easy done but there was no harm done. In fact Seamus and I were actually delighted that our initial fears that house has been burgled were not realised.
Communication problems can lead to many mishaps and misunderstandings – especially when comprehension is taken for granted. When put in perspective this situation amounted to no more than a funny anecdote which I'll be able to reference from time to time at dinner parties. This was simply an initially irritating yet refreshingly hilarious outcome resulting from an innocent misunderstanding.
The housekeeper listened to the instructions but didn’t understand – I can only imagine what it can be like to try to interpret every instruction in a language which isn’t your first.
I took for granted that my instructions were understood – I shouldn’t have because I know how frustrating it can be when people take things for granted. Some people take for granted that they understand network marketing - people take it for granted that it is not a good career opportunity. That’s really frustrating because they are so wrong.
Network marketing has provided fantastic opportunities for me and my family. It has transformed our lives by giving us much more free time and the healthy finances to enjoy it in comfort. It’s also transformed the lives of the people I work with.
I can’t understand how anyone could associate network marketing - a perfectly respectable and rewarding career choice - with negativity. My experience in my new career over the past few years has been nothing ultra-positive.
So while finding the empty wardrobes was a shock, which in the end gave us all a good laugh; the curious case also served as a reminder that understanding should never be taken for granted.