How often do we assume that something is good for us because of company claims that it's all natural?
Every time I hear a company claiming their natural components, I laugh inside. Just because something naturally occurs in nature does not mean it's good for you. A couple products that are naturally occurring in nature that we wouldn't consider a healthy choice: Opium, arsenic, tobacco, uranium, not to mention those little red berries that my mom always told me not to eat in the summertime.
Cobras are a part of nature. Does that mean their naturally produced venom is also good for us?
I get it. In a world of artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, breast implants, genetically modified foods, synthetic chemicals, andeouldnt plastic surgery, natural seems to be the more healthier option but it doesn't grant 100% certainty that it's good for us.
Give me an emotional reason to buy. Natural may be important to some, but it isn't to me.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Is the economy the real problem?
There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't complain about our crappy economy.
I was in the restaurant industry for seven years. In those seven years I became accustomed to my colleagues complaining a sucky environment. I used to nod but I have never supported that position. I can testify that in my time of being in the restaurant industry I never had one declining year in combined sales. Why was my business growing when others were failing? Is that indicative a failing economy?
Granted there are times when there's an economic slowdown and many companies and industries suffer from the economic slowdown. Although 2008 was tough on communities that had huge layoffs, mine was not one of them. The economy is our scapegoat. And that's not just.
Here are some of my experience over the last four weeks:
I called a roofer to fix my roof. He showed up the same day to assess the damages. I called three times to get a price quote. He never returned any of my calls. After four weeks, I had to call someone else.
I needed some drywall done. My drywall guy took 5 months to show up. When he finally did show up he told me it was one week job. One week turned into three weeks. The quality was ok but the inconvenience of living in dust for three weeks was too much. I'm sure he'll blame the economy as less people use his services.
I had a plumbing problem. Plumber told me he was really busy for two days, but promised to assess the problem on day three. That was three weeks ago. Where is my plumber? I'm sure the economy has something to do with his declining sales.
I had to call an electrician four times in order to get him to install the wiring required for my hot tub. I haven't received his invoice yet. Maybe he'll have to call me four times to get paid. Would that be acceptable? And now I have to call him back because he didn't finish the work that he promised he would. Again I'm sure the economy will be the blame for any downsizing of his business.
I wanted a hot tub. So I visited two local companies and asked for a quote. One company took three weeks to respond to my request. They were too late, I already made my decision. Again the damn economy will be the downfall of another local company.
If you're in business, do yourself a favor. Blame the things you can control and stop worrying about the things you can't. Unless you're in the shoe business and everybody stops growing feet, the economy is probably not your problem. Newsflash you're the problem!
Face the music. Put on your big girl panties. Stop blaming everyone but yourself, and get to work. The economy should be blaming you for defamation. You're hurting the economy by giving crappy service.
I was in the restaurant industry for seven years. In those seven years I became accustomed to my colleagues complaining a sucky environment. I used to nod but I have never supported that position. I can testify that in my time of being in the restaurant industry I never had one declining year in combined sales. Why was my business growing when others were failing? Is that indicative a failing economy?
Granted there are times when there's an economic slowdown and many companies and industries suffer from the economic slowdown. Although 2008 was tough on communities that had huge layoffs, mine was not one of them. The economy is our scapegoat. And that's not just.
Here are some of my experience over the last four weeks:
I called a roofer to fix my roof. He showed up the same day to assess the damages. I called three times to get a price quote. He never returned any of my calls. After four weeks, I had to call someone else.
I needed some drywall done. My drywall guy took 5 months to show up. When he finally did show up he told me it was one week job. One week turned into three weeks. The quality was ok but the inconvenience of living in dust for three weeks was too much. I'm sure he'll blame the economy as less people use his services.
I had a plumbing problem. Plumber told me he was really busy for two days, but promised to assess the problem on day three. That was three weeks ago. Where is my plumber? I'm sure the economy has something to do with his declining sales.
I had to call an electrician four times in order to get him to install the wiring required for my hot tub. I haven't received his invoice yet. Maybe he'll have to call me four times to get paid. Would that be acceptable? And now I have to call him back because he didn't finish the work that he promised he would. Again I'm sure the economy will be the blame for any downsizing of his business.
I wanted a hot tub. So I visited two local companies and asked for a quote. One company took three weeks to respond to my request. They were too late, I already made my decision. Again the damn economy will be the downfall of another local company.
If you're in business, do yourself a favor. Blame the things you can control and stop worrying about the things you can't. Unless you're in the shoe business and everybody stops growing feet, the economy is probably not your problem. Newsflash you're the problem!
Face the music. Put on your big girl panties. Stop blaming everyone but yourself, and get to work. The economy should be blaming you for defamation. You're hurting the economy by giving crappy service.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
I'm back!!!!
Guess who's back?
It was exactly a month today that I stopped writing my blog. For those of you that have been following me thank you for asking where the new material was.
I write to get inspired. I write to inspire others. I've been uninspired for a month so I figured it was time to get going again. Thanks to all those words of encouragement...
Something happened to me recently that I felt needed to be shared. I have been blessed with many great people, great opportunities, and great experiences.
In almost everything I have gotten, it wasn't achieved the way I expected it. Snags, challenges, roadblocks always present themselves when I expect results. Each time it sucks yet each time when I let go of my plans, it's seems like my wishes actually come together. Easy as it sounds it happens every time. And I seem to forget this rule each and every time.
A friend told me last week that when we stop making plans is when God shows us his true plan. I know it may be too spiritual for some of you. But please explain it another way that makes sense.
I would love to hear why this law always presents itself.
It was exactly a month today that I stopped writing my blog. For those of you that have been following me thank you for asking where the new material was.
I write to get inspired. I write to inspire others. I've been uninspired for a month so I figured it was time to get going again. Thanks to all those words of encouragement...
Something happened to me recently that I felt needed to be shared. I have been blessed with many great people, great opportunities, and great experiences.
In almost everything I have gotten, it wasn't achieved the way I expected it. Snags, challenges, roadblocks always present themselves when I expect results. Each time it sucks yet each time when I let go of my plans, it's seems like my wishes actually come together. Easy as it sounds it happens every time. And I seem to forget this rule each and every time.
A friend told me last week that when we stop making plans is when God shows us his true plan. I know it may be too spiritual for some of you. But please explain it another way that makes sense.
I would love to hear why this law always presents itself.
Friday, April 25, 2014
You can't always get what you want
But if you're nice enough, you can bribe what you need....
I had a large item delivered to my house today. The delivery contract was clear- curb side delivery.
The driver told me that since we were nice, he could haul it the extra 100 metres to the house.
Once he got it to the house, I asked him if I gave him a couple of dollars if he could bring it directly to its location. No questions asked, he was happy to drop it off at its final resting place. He's richer, I'm happy. I didn't need to call a favour from a friend.
Good old underground economy still works like a charm. Thank you paper money. I'm glad you still exist.
I had a large item delivered to my house today. The delivery contract was clear- curb side delivery.
The driver told me that since we were nice, he could haul it the extra 100 metres to the house.
Once he got it to the house, I asked him if I gave him a couple of dollars if he could bring it directly to its location. No questions asked, he was happy to drop it off at its final resting place. He's richer, I'm happy. I didn't need to call a favour from a friend.
Good old underground economy still works like a charm. Thank you paper money. I'm glad you still exist.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Excuse me sir may I have some more?
The title character in Charles Dickens famous novel "Oliver Twist" was still hungry and wanted a second helping of food.
I am constantly hungry for more. Not the materialistic more. I want more education, more love, more compassion, more cooperation, and even more service. In this poor service society, we could all use a bit more.
A call was made to a government agency on Tuesday morning. I got a call back Wednesday morning. Without a phone number, I had to phone the call centre for a second time. I left my phone number and got a second return call back this morning. Not able to answer at the time of the call, again no phone number to return the call, I will have to go through a call centre again. How many times will I do this before I give up completely?
Today I visited three different hardware stores looking for help. The customer service at all three can not be considered bad. Is the new acceptable standard just not to be bad?
Here's what happened. The first store has locations throughout the world. They are huge. I asked where I could find my desired product. The man dressed in orange pointed me in the right direction barely stopping his step as he walked in the opposite direction. When I found my prize, I waited 15 minutes for someone else to come along to help me out further. No one did. Even though I was ready to buy that product, I left the store empty handed.
The second store is a regional organization. Not as big as the first, usually better priced, it's usually where I go. I knew where to find my prize this time so there was no need to ask for directions. There was a salesperson close by. He was very helpful and pointed out that I could actually buy a partial box instead of a full box. Nice touch I thought. I was also looking for a second item and he told me they didn't carry that product line. Imagine my dismay as I exited the store when I came across the supposed section that did not exist. The service at the second store was much better than the first store. But the fact the salesperson wasn't knowledgeable enough to help me complete my purchases, I left unhappy again.
I went on to the third store. This store is a part of a franchise network. It is national in scope but locally owned and operated. As I was browsing the section of my desire, a salesman approached and asked if I needed help. Upon informing him of my desired prize, he immediately told me that they didn't carry the product in store, but maybe they had it on-line. He spent the next 5 minutes browsing his inventory list trying to find a match for my search. While I waited for those 5 minutes I felt someone was actually knowledgeable, friendly, and trying to take care of me.. I observed similar interactions between other customers with the sales staff. The conversations were not just friendly they were almost family-like.
The third store was the best of the three. It's the smallest of the three. It's the more expensive of the three. It also has the most inconvenient location of the three. But if this is the type of service I get the next time I need something, they will win a loyal customer.
I shouldn't have to ask for more. As a store owner, you need to know we are service deprived... But if you give me more service, I'll return that with more business.
Sounds simple, yet almost no one is doing it...
I am constantly hungry for more. Not the materialistic more. I want more education, more love, more compassion, more cooperation, and even more service. In this poor service society, we could all use a bit more.
A call was made to a government agency on Tuesday morning. I got a call back Wednesday morning. Without a phone number, I had to phone the call centre for a second time. I left my phone number and got a second return call back this morning. Not able to answer at the time of the call, again no phone number to return the call, I will have to go through a call centre again. How many times will I do this before I give up completely?
Today I visited three different hardware stores looking for help. The customer service at all three can not be considered bad. Is the new acceptable standard just not to be bad?
Here's what happened. The first store has locations throughout the world. They are huge. I asked where I could find my desired product. The man dressed in orange pointed me in the right direction barely stopping his step as he walked in the opposite direction. When I found my prize, I waited 15 minutes for someone else to come along to help me out further. No one did. Even though I was ready to buy that product, I left the store empty handed.
The second store is a regional organization. Not as big as the first, usually better priced, it's usually where I go. I knew where to find my prize this time so there was no need to ask for directions. There was a salesperson close by. He was very helpful and pointed out that I could actually buy a partial box instead of a full box. Nice touch I thought. I was also looking for a second item and he told me they didn't carry that product line. Imagine my dismay as I exited the store when I came across the supposed section that did not exist. The service at the second store was much better than the first store. But the fact the salesperson wasn't knowledgeable enough to help me complete my purchases, I left unhappy again.
I went on to the third store. This store is a part of a franchise network. It is national in scope but locally owned and operated. As I was browsing the section of my desire, a salesman approached and asked if I needed help. Upon informing him of my desired prize, he immediately told me that they didn't carry the product in store, but maybe they had it on-line. He spent the next 5 minutes browsing his inventory list trying to find a match for my search. While I waited for those 5 minutes I felt someone was actually knowledgeable, friendly, and trying to take care of me.. I observed similar interactions between other customers with the sales staff. The conversations were not just friendly they were almost family-like.
The third store was the best of the three. It's the smallest of the three. It's the more expensive of the three. It also has the most inconvenient location of the three. But if this is the type of service I get the next time I need something, they will win a loyal customer.
I shouldn't have to ask for more. As a store owner, you need to know we are service deprived... But if you give me more service, I'll return that with more business.
Sounds simple, yet almost no one is doing it...
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Who are you?
If someone were to ask you who you are, what would you say?
Would you say your name?
Would you describe the job that you perform or your job title?
Would talk about being a loving parent or a loyal spouse?
Would you talk about your community involvement?
Would you try to describe yourself by including age, gender, or maybe sexual orientation?
All these answers are considered labels. We use labels as identification with self? Labels are used to support our egos. They're all fake.
What if you weren't allowed to use a label to describe who you are. What would you say then?
This is the type of stuff I think about.
Be brave. Message me with an answer to the question without using a label and I'll share who I think I am.
Who are you?
Would you say your name?
Would you describe the job that you perform or your job title?
Would talk about being a loving parent or a loyal spouse?
Would you talk about your community involvement?
Would you try to describe yourself by including age, gender, or maybe sexual orientation?
All these answers are considered labels. We use labels as identification with self? Labels are used to support our egos. They're all fake.
What if you weren't allowed to use a label to describe who you are. What would you say then?
This is the type of stuff I think about.
Be brave. Message me with an answer to the question without using a label and I'll share who I think I am.
Who are you?
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Living for today
Life passes by like a speeding schoolbus. One minute, we're unable to walk, talk, or fend for ourselves. The next minute it's over.
Life happens when we are making other plans. Birthday parties, social gatherings, vacations, or even the weekends, there's always a future event that needs attention today.
Today is all we got. There's no guarantee there's a tomorrow. We assume it will be there. It's always been there for us before. The assumption has always proven correct. For this, we believe it as truth. Yet, one day, the assumption will prove false. And on that day, it will be too late to change.
Don't think about it. Just feel it.
Don't over-analyze the morning sunshine. Feel the sweet taste of it.
Don't think about playing with your kids. Feel the happiness of being with people you love and love you back.
Don't worry about what you don't have. Celebrate what you do have.
Today is just about gone. Was it the best day of your life?
Do yourself a favour. Take 80 years and multiply if by 365 days/ year. The approximate number of days you will live is 29207. Then take your age and multiply by the same 365. Take the second number and subtract it from 29207. That's about how many days you have left to live. Or maybe today was the last one. No one knows for sure.
Isn't it time we start living for today. Tick tock. Time is not on our side.
Life happens when we are making other plans. Birthday parties, social gatherings, vacations, or even the weekends, there's always a future event that needs attention today.
Today is all we got. There's no guarantee there's a tomorrow. We assume it will be there. It's always been there for us before. The assumption has always proven correct. For this, we believe it as truth. Yet, one day, the assumption will prove false. And on that day, it will be too late to change.
Don't think about it. Just feel it.
Don't over-analyze the morning sunshine. Feel the sweet taste of it.
Don't think about playing with your kids. Feel the happiness of being with people you love and love you back.
Don't worry about what you don't have. Celebrate what you do have.
Today is just about gone. Was it the best day of your life?
Do yourself a favour. Take 80 years and multiply if by 365 days/ year. The approximate number of days you will live is 29207. Then take your age and multiply by the same 365. Take the second number and subtract it from 29207. That's about how many days you have left to live. Or maybe today was the last one. No one knows for sure.
Isn't it time we start living for today. Tick tock. Time is not on our side.
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