Ring the Bell for Service...

Bad service is old news on my blog. I have never been a fan of it and lets face it who really is? But,there are some instances when a person can just shake your head in amazement where neither customer nor business is right.

This particular complaint comes from a daddy who I guess was watching his little girl hard at work, you know earning money for college and all, learning to stand on her own two feet. He describes in his complaint the client as a person who was rude and a bit loud towards his little girl, who ended up leaving the establishment because his food was late, his drinks not as frequent as he would like and unfortunately left little girly  to pay the bill.

In all fairness I agree that this customer handled the situation wrong but daddy went even further to say that he hopes this guy sleeps well at night because he had done the biggest injustice to his daughter, making her pay his bill, costing more money than she makes in a day. So his message was clear.

I only wished it stopped there but this is where he shot himself in the foot by saying what no one else had told this customer. He goes on asking if this guy was at all aware that the kitchen was understaffed on that day, a bunch of staff did not show up at work causing the slow service. He made it clear if the client had asked for management the whole incident could have been avoided.

I disagree, reason being when you go to an establishment you expect what you pay for. If that is not available you should be informed about it first thing. Secondly if not informed immediately, the waitress could have gone and spoke to management and asked for help in adressing the situation. The thing is there was no communication between the manager, the client or the staff. In fact customers were expected to be happy with what was given to them.

There is a right way of handling a situation and a wrong way. Maybe walking out and not paying to me is wrong but it depends on the extent of the frustration. In the end it does all come down to service.


Welcome to the real world girly...truth is owners worry first about the cash before they worry about you. Oh and where does the customer fit in; guess that remains a mystery.

The work wheel

We all live our lives each day, fighting and working hard, trying to provide a better life for our children, our family, for everyone. So it goes they say, that is what the truth is and the answer above is always the same. Is it true always, applicable to all or not? I have read many posts about how we should do this and how we should do that and everything will be fine if you follow certain steps. To some it is motivation, to others it might  mean something totally different. What more can you possibly say or do. Pictures with nice words, comments of motivation, a simple thank you and the list goes on and on. It is true we do fight and work hard each day for the sake of those we love but I believe we often go through it with our eyes closed. Just like other things in life we choose to ignore and deem it as irrelevant. So for the person on the other side it is bad news, you are wasting your energy and your time by trying to offer something of emotional value to someone else. But the question is to who? I don't know that answer as many won't admit that they are irritated by smiley faces or fed up with those living in their happy land, writing happy things. Some will acknowledge that they appreciate each one but...

Nonsense. You can provide and work but at some point you have to slow down and take some time to look around you, try and take in what others are offering in words, for it is powerful. We need to be more open, we need to sometimes force ourselves because we get stuck in this working hard wheel that just goes round and round and never stop. I am not saying one should not work hard, I am saying take a break. In the end it is not only about the work, it is about how we choose to do it. Read or look at something that touches the heart, spend time with those you love and escape from the end destination for a bit. We all want the success and be able to give but who will take care of your loved ones if you do not take care of yourself? 

Fear is normal, thinking that we won't make it. Saying there is nothing wrong is normal because we would rather hide than face the reality of what we are doing to ourselves. We dismiss words, pictures, time and before we know it the time is up and what have you accomplished? You have worked and worked and worked till the end unable to remember that dream you once had, the inspiration you once withdrew courage and strength  from, having taken all that you deserve away from yourself. 

In the end it remains a choice, one that needs to be made. I can't speak for anyone in saying what you should do, what you should not do or what steps to follow. In the end you will succeed, if one person sees or reads you have already made the difference and who knows you might change an opinion or two. 

Just take one minute, eyes wide open and look, not just see but look around. There is so much more! 

The Gift of Success

We all have this dream of riding on the gravy train, getting successful, building a name for ourselves and taking all the joy and pleasure we can grab from it. You know you worked hard and it was a painful process to get you here but then something unusual occurs. You start caring less and less, you start to take that hard work turning it into superiority, a crown you chose and wear. When you see the small people that stands down there, the same place you once stood, you disregard them. You just wave as the train passes, waving in royalty.

I think there are three things to focus on when you move up whether it's a promotion at work or even just landing a new career.

Success and Caring. 
Helping and giving back. 
Supporting and feeling included. 

So you made it but what about the rest. Who do you help and who do you throw away? Or from being someone who cared about everyone at work you now only have certain favorites that meets your standards, standards you support. You once made the coffee, now it feels like someone must bring the coffee to you.
You ignore, you stare, you criticize and sometimes when you do feel like it you will give a quick hello just to make a person feel they have a little bit of happiness thinking that they might mean something to you..

I think as I mentioned above, give back, help others who are still waiting for their ticket. Care about their success and think of ways that you can help them achieve their goals, don't just wave and think they will never make it. One day without your help or your assistance they will, because someone out there will help and maybe when you need someone, and your success has faded and the train ride has ended for you, you will expect someone to do what you were not bothered with..

Success and Caring.
Helping and giving back.
Supporting and feeling included. 

Every person, even the smallest person needs encouragement, support, a smile of kindness and just someone to show a little interest. The walk to success is a long one, so do whatever you can to be there for others and forget about the crown, you still have work to do.

The Monday bike ride.

When I was in school I hated these lessons of dragging words out letter by letter.Now that I am older it now follows me around on a Monday, dragging out the word and slowing down my voice, the time, the bug that is flying by reminding me that this is only the beginning of a loooong week. We put such a focus on a Monday because it is the first day after the weekend where we find ourselves right back where we were on Friday, working. For everyone that feels this way I think there comes a time when a person must at least try and change that focus.  

This is not at all easy as we tend to do just the opposite, we try and not have a focus on Mondays.

We love to Call in sick on a Monday, talk on the phone endlessly , browse the internet or do some online shopping. We go to the bathroom often and discuss all the details of our weekends with our colleagues while our employers sits and waits for results. Less productivity in the workplace means less money in their pockets and we as Monday haters are causing exactly that but so what. 

So what do you do? I don't think it is at all about what you do, I think it is more about how you plan to do it. Yes we might find Mondays awful but what about the other people out there that does not. Monday to them is like any other day, a happy day, a day when dreams still comes true, why?

1. Believe in what you do. Whatever it is you do each day of your life, somehow you are directly or indirectly dealing with people. Someone like a construction worker, building safe homes for the future, a waiter making someone else feel good by the words they speak. Even a job considered so low like garbage disposal means that you are keeping people healthy and protecting the environment  Ask yourself the question, what if there was no one else but you who believed it? 

2.Encourage others. Negativity is common and something you can easily step on. Whether your workload is high, or the deadlines are approaching, shifts are getting longer don't get negative and tell others to rather refrain from working at a place that is like yours. Is it not better to make that person believe that he can do so much more with the talent that he was given?

3.Do not show defeat. On a Monday keep smiling even though every part of you wants to be at home, what impression does it give to your superiors if you and your whole department is walking around mourning for  a weekend that passed away. Rather be the one that motivates, make it nice, buy some lunch or have cake, try  and be the better person. It will show who you really are and management will pick up on that. 

4. Prioritize. Organize your week, keep tabs on what needs to get done and remind others, this way the week might seem a bit more in control. We tend to walk around sometimes thinking, what is next? What can possibly make my week any worse? If you keep your mind organized, yourself in check and know that surprises can still strike and believe that you are ready for anything, Monday and the week should be yours. 

5. Take a breath. Don't push yourself like a steam train to rush through work on Monday, it never helps as rushing causes mistakes, and mistakes leads to trouble. Take it as a normal day, don't sit and watch that clock thinking, maybe if I keep myself extremely busy time will fly by. Time is not standing still as we believe, so get through the day just like any other, focus, focus, focus and when needed breath, get up and take a break. 

Monday will always be a funny day and I believe it is not as much as what we do on a Monday, it is how we plan on doing it like i said. Rather start off good than ending bad knowing that next week or even the whole week will be the same. No matter what you do it all comes down to knowing what you are capable of and staying positive no matter what comes along. You write your own story, it is just the path that will differ from the one to the next. Think of Mondays as a bicycle ride, it comes with it's fair share of hurdles along the road but don't give up and stop half way, you might just miss out on the view ahead.