Self Improvement

Empty Apologies

By Guy |

Empty apologies are worse than apologies that are never offered.

After messing up a furniture delivery for which we waited almost all day–the company failed to load some items and delayed others–Haverty’s dutifully emailed me a link to provide feedback.

I responded with a polite but firm explanation of the inconvenience caused by the company’s procedures and some thoughtful suggestions for improving their processes.

I don’t time things like this, but I estimate that I spent somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes answering the survey’s questions, which were obviously designed to prevent any unfavorable feedback, and typing genuine feedback and ideas into the text-entry boxes.

Based on the sorry-not-sorry response above, it’s apparent that the request for feedback was ingenuous and the feedback I provided was unappreciated.

Here’s the thing: Whether you’re an individual or an organization, if you’re going to apologize, truly apologize.

Don’t express an empty collection of thoughtless words.

Instead, use words that demonstrate your understanding of where you fell short and your empathy for the harm you caused.

Because empty apologies are worse than apologies that are never offered.

Image: Screenshot of an email received from Haverty’s after a botched delivery.

I Watched a Squirrel This Morning…

By Guy |

I watched a squirrel as the sun made its way over the horizon this morning.

He was simply living in the moment, scampering up and down the trees, running to and fro across the lawn, and just basically scratching around for his breakfast and then eating it right on the spot.

I know very little about squirrel behavior, but it looked like this little guy wasn’t concerned about the future beyond being aware of his surroundings and immediate security.

He had his head on a swivel and most certainly would have dashed away if I had made a move toward him.

But I didn’t, so he just went about his business.

No worries.

No cares.

No distractions.

Simply in the moment.

We should all do that from time to time.

What Will You Do

By Guy |

As we race toward the finish line for 2020, which is arguably one of the most challenging years in our nation’s history, it is worth each of us asking ourselves what we have done to do good, do well, and honor God.

Such reflection is healthy, as it opens a window to where we’ve been and alerts us to some ideas of what our aims should be in the new year in terms of doing good, doing well, and honoring God.

This exercise can be especially helpful for those of us who are looking back on a year that we would just as soon forget.

So how will you do good, do well, and honor God in 2021?

A Quick Note About Shortcuts

By Guy |

Here’s to hoping your week has been pleasant so far. Ours is fine at this point, but we grounded the boat hard yesterday and were stuck for over an hour just a few hundred yards from one of our favorite anchorages.

Some new friends on a boat named TRINITY sent us the mobile phone images above and below. The one above shows ONWARD stranded on the hill that was hidden below the water, while the one below shows us after we broke free and headed toward the anchorage the right way.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to say it, but I was at the helm when we hit the bottom and the only reason we hit was because I had neglected my own long-held practice of scrutinizing the charts before the passage, thinking I could rely on my memories from the four or five other times we’ve anchored here to get me through.

Thank goodness it was soft and not stone.

In the end, I took a shortcut and it cost my wife and me precious time and energy that we could have both used doing more productive things.

If there were rocks below instead of mud–the place we were entering is called “Rock Piles” so there are a lot of large rocks, many of which are hidden beneath the surface–this could have been all she wrote for ONWARD.

We were blessed to have found a muddy spot, otherwise it could have been disastrous.

Anyway, shortcuts will do that to you. They have the potential to end in disaster whether you’re in a boat, flying a plane, driving a car, operating an arc welder, drilling teeth, or sitting at your desk.

Shortcuts can even be harmful to your relationships.

Sometimes shortcuts work.

But sometimes they don’t.

The best advice is to avoid shortcuts unless you’ve truly engaged in a deep analysis of what you’re thinking you want to do and have determined that it is really the best way.

Sometimes, shortcuts aren’t shortcuts at all.

This is what happens when you turn trash into treasures

By Guy |

Worn out painter’s buckets, dented cookware, metal odds and ends, old boards, boxes, bins, cans, bottles. You get the idea.

We discard this stuff every day.

Most of these things end up in land fills, where more trash is dumped on top and then compacted by bulldozers and steam rollers.

The plastics and metals will degrade over time, but that time window can last more than a thousand years.

Meanwhile, those things will take up space and degrade into elements that are hazardous to people, pets, and wildlife.

As an alternative to filling dumps, some people choose to turn trash into treasures.

Dario Rossi is one such individual, and his treasure is some of the best techno street drumming you’ll ever hear.

Give Dario a listen and while you’re in his virtual audience think about ways in which you can take the waste you find around you and turn it into treasures.

And by waste, I don’t just mean trash, but also time, ideas, relationships, learning or serving opportunities, words, images, and anything else you’ve thoughtlessly tossed to the side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbsvFMEvPo4&feature=youtu.be

Dario Rossi turns trash into treasure

Now, what treasure will you create?

Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash