It’s all in your perception

I recently had a friend point out to me the difference in the mind-set of a motorcycle rider with that of the driver of a car.   

He said he always rode behind the car in the opposite lane or very far behind the car in the same lane.  When he was riding, he was watching out for cars.  But the cars weren’t watching out for motorcycles, they were only watching out for other cars.  So, when they didn’t see a car in the way, they would change lanes, even though there might have been a motorcycle there.  

I found that to be an interesting perception.

It shows up in our service as well.  Families will look at an estate and only see what is right in front of them or things that they are aware of.  They aren’t looking at the larger, longer picture of what it really looks like.  Consequently, they don’t see a need for our service.

However, those families that have used our service would say otherwise.  Their perception of the value we add is huge.  We’ve been there, done that and know what the larger picture looks like.  We know that each step they take is an emotional one and that no matter how long a time passes, it will always be emotional.

What we see is people spending time with their families, using their weekends for activities and grieving for their loss.  They aren’t sorting through boxes of old papers or cleaning out a house. They aren’t fielding phone calls or handling junk mail.  They aren’t waiting in line at MVD or completing paperwork for the 5^th time.  They aren’t using their vacation time to do all these things, and more, either.

Next time I have a perception of something and someone is trying to get me to see it differently, I’m going to be open minded.  They probably know something I don’t and in the end, I will wish I would have seen it their way. 

It’s usually how we learn something new.

Tisha

Nothing about Something

When I entered the blogging world, I thought everything would always be about work.  But, it’s not.

I recently had the opportunity to make amends with someone I had wronged several years ago.  It wasn’t something I had done purposefully but none the less, this person was hurt.  Although I had made several attempts to reach out, there wasn’t any response.  Once he contacted me, explained why he was hurt, it gave me an opportunity to apologize, ask for forgiveness, and move forward. 

It also gave me an opportunity to learn.  I didn’t realize that what I was doing was causing pain to someone, and probably more than one someone.  It also gave me an opportunity to change behavior.  If they were hurt, it has probably hurt someone else, even though I didn’t know it was.  It also gave me an opportunity to ask questions.  Why did this hurt, how can I make it up to you, if possible, and why did it take so long for you to tell me.

When my parents died, I got to say things to them that most people don’t get the opportunity to do.  Like; apologize for being a snotty teenager; ask for some last minute advice; tell them how proud I am to be their daughter; and most importantly to tell them “I Love You.”

So, if I have done something to wrong you, said something to hurt you, or not treated you right, I ask you to let me know.  I can’t fix it if I don’t know what the problem is.  And I can’t change if I don’t know the reason.  In the end, it’s about people.

Tisha

What's In A Name?

What’s in a name?

The best thing a person can hear is their name.  “Thanks Nancy for helping today” or “We appreciate you coming to visit John” or “Thanks for thinking of us Barb.”  This also works in letters.  “Kim and Chris, thank you for donating to our organization” or “Larry and Tisha, we look forward to seeing you at our function next week.”

It DOESN’T work like this.  Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bawrence Diffie (my husband being Lawrence) Ms. Tisha Piftle (my Safeway Club Card they can’t seem to get right) or even Mr. and Mrs. Tisha Diffie (not sure if my husband would like being Mr. Tisha Diffie, hum….)

Although it may seem small, we like taking extra care to make sure that names of clients, deceased, beneficiaries, friends and other people have their names correct when we talk with them or send correspondence.  It’s a small thing that everyone can take care to do.

With that, “Thanks Emily for the referral.  We appreciate your confidence in our company.”

Tisha