A New View on Customer Service

I recently had a new pair of glasses made which I was not happy with. I wore my new glasses almost six weeks before I went back to have them checked. I thought I needed a new pair because they were not only uncomfortable to wear they did not improve my vision.

At the time of my first fitting, the man who was helping me wasn’t really all that much help. You would have thought I was a Meineke Car Care, “In – Up – Out.” I told the man the glasses were not comfortable and they didn’t seem to improve my vision. His response was, “You will get used to them.”

Not wanting to be “a pain,” I went along with his advice. After six weeks my glasses didn’t get better, so I decided to have them checked. It turned out that he had not adjusted them to my eyes and face correctly. The new person who took care of me on this return visit knew immediately that was the case and corrected the problem without having to change the prescription.

This experience happens all too often these days. For some reason people don’t feel they need to do a good job at what they are hired to do, if they don’t make LOTS of money for their time. Thank goodness there are other types of people also – the ones that do their job no matter what.

There is an unfair balance that happens in the work place when this attitude prevails – slackers screw things up and the workers have to fix their problems on top of doing their own work. What is one to do in such situations, criticize the one who made the error or just allow the knowledgeable person to correct it?
My belief is that a “complaint” should be made to the person who made the mistake. This way they can learn from their error. I see two benefits that could come from this, the next patient doesn’t have to go through the same experience, and co-workers don’t have to pull dead weight at work.

Moral of the story – speak up. You may be able to teach and help others while improving your own life.

ideas slip away fast if not recorded

A new idea comes on momentarily and we assume we can recall it at the appropriate time as needed.

This is a major error our brain imposes on us.
It neglects telling us how fast the idea will get lost in the brain and only a strong reminder might bring it back when we need it.

This is another habit we take for granted without realizing how many wonderful ideas are filed in the brain that we never get back to applying.

How to avoid this functioning or malfunctioning of the brain is just as important as the error the brain imposes on us when it disregards the games the brain plays on us without letting it continue to do so no matter how much important information falls by the wayside without our realizing it.

Can this be avoided? Yes, with a little effort at the time it is happening. How?

Keep a notebook handy and jot the thought down when it occurs. If one thinks this is too much trouble think of the loss of positive thoughts if one avoids this minor effort to make life more pleasant by saving our positive thoughts instead of letting them float away as if they were not important.

MAKE A PERSONAL LIST OF POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND KEEP ADDING TO IT. IT WILL HELP YOU RETAIN THE MANY POSITIVE IDEAS THAT MAKE LIFE INTERESTING, STIMULATING, AND PRODUCTIVE RATHER THAN HAVE THEM CLUTTERING YOUR MIND WITHOUT YOUR EVEN REALIZING THEY ARE THERE.

This may seem a burden but it really is not. It relieves burdens we ignore or do so because they seem to require more time than our superficial view of them makes then appear so.

What's in a habit?

Habits good and bad are created through repetition. Repetition is kind of boring unless it has value added, like a healthy body, a good relationship or a good handle on your money.

Check out why you do what you do, and either continue doing what you do or start a new boring repetitious behavior with value added.

Where has Common Sense Gone?

I live in a retirement home where many of the residents use walkers. One day I was watching a lady walk bent over her walker, as if it was trying to pull her under the floor. I suggested that she raise the handles on her walker, but she informed me that her doctor had not told her to do so and on that note, she was only going to do as her doctor instructed her to do!

OK, I can understand following doctor’s orders, but what if her doctor didn’t watch her using that short walker? Think about it – the nurse brings us into the room and we sit waiting for that doctor to arrive. And, the doctor usually leaves the room before us, so when would he have seen this dear little lady use her walker? When do we become responsible for some of our own care?

You would think if people are suggesting improvements we can make to our lives, that we would at least stop to think, “I wonder why they would say that?” Most of the time people make suggestions because they want to see us doing, being or feeling better. Why would I care if her back hurt from bending over too far if it wasn’t for her benefit?

The scary thing in all of this is - we treat our doctors as if they are God – knowing everything we need before we ask for it. Well, the fact is doctors aren’t God or even a good facsimile of God, so why wouldn’t we ask more questions of our doctors if it would make our lives easier?

Do we think so little of ourselves that we don’t dare question those who are the “authority” or have we been programmed not to ask questions, because it wouldn’t be polite? Either way, it’s time to take a little responsibility for our own well-being.

Raise the handles on your walker! Your back will thank you!

Biased Decisions – Costly Business

If only we knew how costly decisions based on biased beliefs can be, we might stop making them. For example Jews, God and History, published in the mid-1960s, had sold more than 2.5 million copies by the year 2000. It is now considered a classic continuing to sell close to 3,000 copies per month. The reason for the many rejections of Jews, God and History by prominent publishers was, “There are so many books on Jewish history now we see no point in adding another one.” But, after sales of 3 million plus copies, the error of their thinking has shown them how much money they have lost.

One wonders if there has been any change in their rejection policy. Think of how the brave person who took the time to actually read the unpublished manuscript and sent it on for review feels. I for one would feel quite confident in the ability to know good writing when I saw it. It would be interesting to read the minds of who passed on the opportunity to publish yet “another book on Jewish history.”

This wonderful classic can be ordered on-line at http://tinyurl.com/yldbagb or purchased at any major bookstore.

To Treat or Not to Treat

I endured a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and for 35 years I was unable to cry. Then I heard about cranial manipulation treatment. It was presented to me as a cure for what ailed me. To see what it would do, I tried it. It did make me cry, but for no reason and no cause. Was my choice a good one or not? We all live with the intense desire to make right decisions regarding our health, but when we learn we made the wrong decision, it upsets us and leave us with an unpleasant feeling.

Whether to listen to our bodies or the advice we get from “those who know” is not a simple decision to make. We hear, “Listen to your doctor,” or “Ask your health care provider,” but when should we listen to our daily symptoms instead of asking those who think they know what’s best for us?

Another example of following the advice of health care providers instead of listening to symptoms was when I was being treated for my adrenal gland damage. The physician knew this is the one gland of the body that cannot be repaired or cured since the adrenal gland cannot regenerate itself, but this negative fact was not conveyed when this treatment was applied. I didn’t know what was harder to deal with, my hope of getting better being dashed or having a damaged adrenal gland.

During the years of “mending,” I have learned to listen to my body and choose the best medical decision I can.