Category: motivation

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motivation

Why I admire Dandelions

Photo of a backyard with two dandelions among green grass

I admire dandelions because they keep coming back in spite of man’s best efforts to put them down. May we learn a lesson from them on perseverance.

Last week, I saw the first one. In a sea of grass, a lone dandelion popped up from the ground. It isn’t supposed to be there. The place we rent from does regular fertilizing and weeding. In fact, when I look to the left and right, I see no evidence of another weed. There is nothing but a sea of green grass…except right there!

Then last night, I saw that the lone dandelion had a friend. In spite of man’s best efforts, a dandelion plant is thriving and producing two flowers. You have to admire that kind of determination in spite of the best efforts of men with sprayers and spreaders.

Even as a child, I’ve always admired dandelions. They kept me from focusing on baseball and soccer. They were always more interesting than the games. I loved picking them and proudly presenting them to my mom. My grandmother would harvest them and make dandelion greens. Yes, the greens are edible. And if you like spinach, you’d love dandelion greens. Don’t laugh until you try them! Here are some legitimate recipes:

Life Breaks Us

We all have discouraging moments. The last three months have been ripe for disappointments. If you live for any length of time, one of the following will happen:

  • Your heart will be broken
  • Loved ones will disappoint you
  • You will develop an illness
  • Friends will come and go
  • You will be passed over for a promotion
    • It may be because you’re too good at what you do now
    • Or it may be because someone doesn’t trust you over a thing you can’t control like:
      • Race
      • Gender
      • Age
      • Not in “the” Clique
      • Your personality
  • You discover a “stable” job was not that stable when you were laid off
  • A total stranger will say something hurtful, whether they intended to or not

Unfortunately, we live in a broken world that tends to break people.

We have a choice

  • We can choose to let those that break us define us
    • Unforgiveness leads to bitterness
    • Bitterness leads to hurting others
    • We stay stuck
  • We can forgive, persevere and rise above the brokenness
    • Instead of hurting people, we become healers
    • Instead of going with the crowd, we become changemakers
    • Instead of staying stuck, we move on and become a light to the world

I admire dandelions because they just keep coming back in spite of the best efforts to keep them down. May we learn a lesson or two from them on perseverance.

Photo of a backyard with two dandelions among green grass
Categories
Business Business Cartoons motivation

Customer service is turning lemons into lemonade.

Cartoon of a boy at a lemonade stand and a girl. the girl says, "How's your customer service?"

If you are in customer service, you’ve had to face a lot of lemons lately. It has been nearly impossible to give customers exactly what they wanted when the whole world was turned outside down. Yet the best customer service representatives turn lemons into lemonade.

When I drew this cartoon, It didn’t occur to me how sales and customer service do this every day. Instead, I was thinking of how even a humble lemonade stand owner can benefit from customer service. I didn’t think about the sour events customer service representatives face every day.

One of my friends works in the billing department for a hospital. She has fielded calls from people who have been affected by the financial hardships of COVID-19. Both couples in a family have lost their jobs. Or maybe someone just wanted to talk about the disease. She’s done a lot of listening. She’s shed tears with customers that are going through tough times.

About a year ago, our plant was going through some capital improvements. We hit some snags with installing and testing the new equipment that caused jobs to be late. It was a very rough time for our customer service department because they had to field the calls of frustrated customers that were used to excellent service. I was impressed by those in the department that took the time to listen and be helpful even when they may have felt there was little they could do.

Excellent customer service looks like the following:

  • Treat each customer the way you want to be treated
  • Taking the time to listen to the customer even when you may not agree with them
  • Offer solutions that may not be exactly what they want, but involves compromise
  • Being an advocate for the customer while avoiding making unattainable promises

In the end, if we’re in business, we are all in customer service. Everyone wants to know they are being listened to and that the other person cares about their plight.

Cartoon of a boy at a lemonade stand and a girl. the girl says, "How's your customer service?"
Categories
Book Reviews motivation

Why we need to tap into the power of kindness

Cartoon of a boy handing a newspaper to an elderly woman. "She says, "Why thank you for bringing me my newspaper. You are just in time for some fresh-baked cookies."

This morning, I listened to an interview with Adrienne Bankert on The Ziglar Show. It was about kindness as a superpower. It is extremely timely with the events of the last several weeks. Who wouldn’t want to see some more kindness in the world?

When I first posted today’s cartoon, I noted that the more selfish we are, the more miserable we become. Unfortunately, selfish people make others around them miserable as well.

What is the solution? kindness. On the podcast, Adrienne mentioned the difference between being nice and being kind. It was an epiphany for me. Just being nice isn’t kindness. We can be courteous and smile at a stranger without really helping someone. In addition, kindness in the workplace is the key to being professional. There was a lot to think about in this podcast.

You can find more about Adrienne Bankert and her book at her Discover Your Hidden Superpower web site.

Cartoon of a boy handing a newspaper to an elderly woman. "She says, "Why thank you for bringing me my newspaper. You are just in time for some fresh-baked cookies."

Categories
motivation

I blew it this weekend…and you probably did too!

"I blew it this weekend...and you probably did too!"

This was a rough weekend. It was difficult to see the riots, the anger and hatred play out in the news. Cities were burning. Both sides were pointing fingers. In the midst of this are the warnings this could make the coronavirus pandemic worse because of the mass gatherings.

Racism is ugly. It can cause pain and death. I have to admit I don’t know much about what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racism, nor do I understand how hate can dominate one’s life. The issues are much too complex for simple solutions. It can give everyone a sense of hopelessness and despair.

I let it get to me.

You probably let it get to you as well. Who couldn’t? And yet, there were some things I had to be grateful for.

  • The weather was perfect where I live
  • I have the love of a beautiful, devoted wife
  • I am alive, healthy and active
  • I witnessed the first manned launch spaceflight from US soil in nine years

But this time, I didn’t count my blessings. I let the news get me down. I let the narrative of the news sour me. It was a mistake. But it was a mistake that I’m sure a lot of us made.

We cannot ignore the hurt and pain. Yet, we cannot let it put us in a place of hopelessness. How can anything be repaired if we believe it is hopeless?

As we start a new month and a new week, let’s pick up the pieces, count our blessings, and remember there is always something to be grateful for. Then let’s fix what we can. There are plenty of things to be fixed. But let us remember to give ourselves and others grace for the things we can’t fix.

Categories
books motivation Quotes

Why is isolation so dangerous?

"When we isolate ourselves from others, we become islands unto ourselves. And like Tom Hanks in the movie 'Cast Away,' we eventually draw a face on a volleyball, name it Wilson, and start talking to it." Mark Batterson in "Whisper"

Has anyone felt isolated lately? Of course, we have! After all quarantine is a synonym for isolation. Hospitals have isolation wards that keep infected people from spreading illness. In some situations, like a pandemic, isolation is necessary.

Health professionals have told us isolation has been necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Yet, It isn’t easy for any of us. There has been several recent articles on how isolation is affecting us.

I liked today’s quote by Mark Batterson because of its humorous approach. It also reminds me isolation can become dangerous because it can cause us to do some crazy things.

  • We may start believing the negative self-talk that comes from our thoughts.
  • We may find unhealthy ways to numb the loneliness
  • When we finally get with people, we may come off as desperate, or a little neurotic (especially if you introduce you volleyball as your new friend)
  • It opens us up to scammers and others that take advantage of the lonely and isolated.

Batterson’s book is about how to listen to the voice of God. He reminded me that one way to hear His voice is to be in a community of believers. We all need friends and mentors to keep us from going off the rails. Isolation and a lack of humility can be a great disadvantage when you need someone to talk through an idea.

We are all social creatures. Even introverts need time with others. We may not be able to meet face-to-face. Technology may not be your strong suit. But I encourage you to find ways to reach out to friends even when it may take extra effort. We all need others to keep us from getting very lonely, and a little neurotic.

"When we isolate ourselves from others, we become islands unto ourselves. And like Tom Hanks in the movie 'Cast Away,' we eventually draw a face on a volleyball, name it Wilson, and start talking to it." Mark Batterson in "Whisper"