As I interact with more and more folks, I keep being impressed by the following slogan: “Mnimum Effort, Maximum Benefits.”
What that means is: do as little as possible, then expect as much as possible in return.
I started to notice this when people, including me, didn’t use the walkways to cross the busy city streets, but instead cut through traffic to minimize the time it takes to get somewhere. We can’t be bothered to burn the extra minute or two we’d need to do it the “right” way.
Another example of this is cutting through parking spaces in parking lots when driving. Would it really hurt to drive in the designated lanes more?
I often find myself on the phone with people, and they have to ask me to speak up. That’s often because I’m doing something else–while speaking with phone representatives especially. I have to wait for them to finish what they need to do, and I want to better utilize my time by getting something else done.
I also see others doing that to me, including the poor customer service I have fussed about previously. I know we all have jobs that now measure what we do more efficiently, but we might want to consider more than just the numbers we produce. A real, personal contact instead of reading a script can make a huge difference in our perceptions of each other.
I guess I am something of a “doer,” a person who likes being active. My mother used to say the old cliche about me, that “the impossible takes you a little longer.” I do write this blog each day as well as help out with the SciFiPulse website and podcast. Recently, I started writing for MonstersAndCritics.com, and have enjoyed that. I have re-discovered my love for writing. Of course, I have passionately enjoyed working on websites and blogs for years, not to mention publications.
I guess it all comes down to this–how much is something worth to us? If it is something we perceive of little value, we don’t invest our time or pay much attention to it. If it is something we want or need, then we go after it with more gusto!
It’s an odd thing to me, but I wish life would slow down more and yet be full of things to do that I enjoy. Maybe I can’t have it both ways!
The only video I could think of to run today was the following:
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