Ok, I know we are all trying to get a million things done, but I learned recently that multitasking does not always work. I was driving out to a client's home to pick up some dry cleaning. I was sick with a cold so I should have known not to answer the phone while I was driving. Why? After listening to some woman ramble on about her business and where she wanted to take it, mind you she was not making any sense during our conversation, I started to hack up a lung.
So here I am driving along PCH, I have the phone in one hand, the steering wheel in the other, and I am trying to open up a bottle of something to drink because I am coughing really bad. I started to swerve because I was having trouble trying to open up the bottle and I am wishing she would just shut up and get off of the phone, but of course she keeps rambling on even after she hears me coughing horribly.
Needless to say I had to swerve back into my lane, put the drink between my legs and open it up that way, take a swig, and then tell her I had to go. I safely got to where I needed to go, but after that near miss I stopped answering the phone the rest of the day. Multitasking is only good for certain things, like putting a load of dishes on to wash while you are rushing to put a load of laundry on so you can get back to your show before the commercials end.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
What lie are you telling yourself?
A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future.
— Anonymous
The biggest lie of all is "Everyone can do it!" The truth is that not everyone can do everything. If an Average Joe succeeds, suddenly every Average Joe thinks that they can do it too. The truth is that some will succeed and others won't. In the concierge and errand industry, not everyone who sets out to start their own business will be able to make a go of it. Why not? It is not necessarily about whether they have the money or not to. Rather, it is because not everyone has the skills or attitude to do so.
I have seen all kinds of people enter this industry. Those that are looking to make a quick buck, those wanting to stay home with their kids, those looking to get out of the rat race, those who have the personality and no skills, those that have the skills but the attitude is all wrong, and the list could go on and on. Some will succeed, while many others don't. It is heartbreaking for those that truly want to do this, but lack the training or skills necessary to really make it work.
In life, it is the same. My youngest son played flag football for the city this past fall. I had so much fun watching him play and watching him have fun himself. Whether he won or not was not a problem with me, but you could tell it was for many parents. The truth was, not all of those kids had the skill or attitude to win. My son, being one of the biggest boys on his team sure had the skills to win. He had a tiny kid shaking in his boots when he had to face my son at the line of scrimmage. But my son does not have that "take no prisoners" attitude. He was helping kids up when they fell, even if they were on the other team. He wouldn't make it past the first day of boot camp in the NFL if I was to send him there today. I don't want to start a lie today that will not hold up later in life, so I tell him it is all about having fun now.
I enjoy my Sudoku puzzles. Do I have the skills to complete the puzzles? Yes. Do I have the attitude to complete the puzzles? Yes. Am I the fastest person out there? No. Am I disappointed? No. The reason why? I already told myself the truth when I started. The fact of the matter is that there are probably tons of people out there who are able to complete their puzzles much quicker than I am able to.
When you are contemplating a business, a hobby, a job, or pretty much anything else in life, you need to evaluate what your skills and attitude are at that moment. You need to lay all of the facts out on the table. If you are honest with yourself, you may find that you really want to do it, but lack the skills. You may find that training will be what you need to get ahead or you may find that no matter how much training you get, you just will not be able to do it. You may find that you have years of experience that you have been building, but once you dig deep into what really needs to be done, you may realize that whatever it is may just not be your cup of tea or you may find that this is something you've been waiting to do for years.
If after analyzing everything you still lie to yourself right now, where will it take you in the future?
— Anonymous
The biggest lie of all is "Everyone can do it!" The truth is that not everyone can do everything. If an Average Joe succeeds, suddenly every Average Joe thinks that they can do it too. The truth is that some will succeed and others won't. In the concierge and errand industry, not everyone who sets out to start their own business will be able to make a go of it. Why not? It is not necessarily about whether they have the money or not to. Rather, it is because not everyone has the skills or attitude to do so.
I have seen all kinds of people enter this industry. Those that are looking to make a quick buck, those wanting to stay home with their kids, those looking to get out of the rat race, those who have the personality and no skills, those that have the skills but the attitude is all wrong, and the list could go on and on. Some will succeed, while many others don't. It is heartbreaking for those that truly want to do this, but lack the training or skills necessary to really make it work.
In life, it is the same. My youngest son played flag football for the city this past fall. I had so much fun watching him play and watching him have fun himself. Whether he won or not was not a problem with me, but you could tell it was for many parents. The truth was, not all of those kids had the skill or attitude to win. My son, being one of the biggest boys on his team sure had the skills to win. He had a tiny kid shaking in his boots when he had to face my son at the line of scrimmage. But my son does not have that "take no prisoners" attitude. He was helping kids up when they fell, even if they were on the other team. He wouldn't make it past the first day of boot camp in the NFL if I was to send him there today. I don't want to start a lie today that will not hold up later in life, so I tell him it is all about having fun now.
I enjoy my Sudoku puzzles. Do I have the skills to complete the puzzles? Yes. Do I have the attitude to complete the puzzles? Yes. Am I the fastest person out there? No. Am I disappointed? No. The reason why? I already told myself the truth when I started. The fact of the matter is that there are probably tons of people out there who are able to complete their puzzles much quicker than I am able to.
When you are contemplating a business, a hobby, a job, or pretty much anything else in life, you need to evaluate what your skills and attitude are at that moment. You need to lay all of the facts out on the table. If you are honest with yourself, you may find that you really want to do it, but lack the skills. You may find that training will be what you need to get ahead or you may find that no matter how much training you get, you just will not be able to do it. You may find that you have years of experience that you have been building, but once you dig deep into what really needs to be done, you may realize that whatever it is may just not be your cup of tea or you may find that this is something you've been waiting to do for years.
If after analyzing everything you still lie to yourself right now, where will it take you in the future?
Sunday, February 11, 2007
"Sorry" can be a hard word to say
Apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift. — Margaret Lee Runbeck
For most people, saying that they are sorry for something gone wrong can be one of the hardest things to do. You know that feeling you get when the word is stuck right there in your throat and you want to say it, but it just doesn't want to come out. Everyone likes to feel that they are right. For you to be wrong and then have to admit to it to someone other than yourself can really get to some people.
I was watching ER the other night and this gentleman, Mr. Ames, had one of the doctors on the roof of his home with a gun pointed at him. The doctor had messed up and now the guy couldn't use his left arm, his wife left him, he lost his home; his whole world was just falling apart. All he had really wanted from the doctor was an apology. The doctor finally admitted he was wrong and the guy seemed to be at peace with that, yet he killed himself after that. That was an extreme case, but you could tell the difference in Mr. Ames' face after those three words were said.
If you are running a business, you have to learn the word "sorry" and use it. If you were running late, the client received the wrong item, you forgot to do something, or whatever else it was, accept responsibility. A person is more willing to give your company a second chance if you accept responsibility and apologize to them. Obviously if you take your apology a step further it raises that chance of a customer returning even higher.
I have stuck my foot in my mouth on plenty of occasions, both personally and professionally. It feels a little unpleasant at the moment, but I do tend to feel better about the situation once I have offered an apology to someone. It also helps to be sincere when using the big "S" word.
We teach our children that they should say they are sorry whenever they do something wrong to someone else, yet as adults it is harder for us to do the same thing. Apologizing does not make you less of a person; in fact it makes you more human. As humans we are not perfect so that means that we make mistakes. Apologize for them.
For most people, saying that they are sorry for something gone wrong can be one of the hardest things to do. You know that feeling you get when the word is stuck right there in your throat and you want to say it, but it just doesn't want to come out. Everyone likes to feel that they are right. For you to be wrong and then have to admit to it to someone other than yourself can really get to some people.
I was watching ER the other night and this gentleman, Mr. Ames, had one of the doctors on the roof of his home with a gun pointed at him. The doctor had messed up and now the guy couldn't use his left arm, his wife left him, he lost his home; his whole world was just falling apart. All he had really wanted from the doctor was an apology. The doctor finally admitted he was wrong and the guy seemed to be at peace with that, yet he killed himself after that. That was an extreme case, but you could tell the difference in Mr. Ames' face after those three words were said.
If you are running a business, you have to learn the word "sorry" and use it. If you were running late, the client received the wrong item, you forgot to do something, or whatever else it was, accept responsibility. A person is more willing to give your company a second chance if you accept responsibility and apologize to them. Obviously if you take your apology a step further it raises that chance of a customer returning even higher.
I have stuck my foot in my mouth on plenty of occasions, both personally and professionally. It feels a little unpleasant at the moment, but I do tend to feel better about the situation once I have offered an apology to someone. It also helps to be sincere when using the big "S" word.
We teach our children that they should say they are sorry whenever they do something wrong to someone else, yet as adults it is harder for us to do the same thing. Apologizing does not make you less of a person; in fact it makes you more human. As humans we are not perfect so that means that we make mistakes. Apologize for them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
