Sunday, November 15, 2020
Attention: Wake Up!
I bought shoes in Bergdorf-Goodman in New York last year, as I sometimes do. I ask for the shoes to be shipped, since I didn’t want to add them to my luggage.
This pair arrived within a week, except they were neither the style nor color I had chosen. Completely wrong shoes. I returned them for credit, and, of course, a week later I received the ubiquitous survey asking about my shopping experience! Just like “calls recorded for quality purposes,” I think this is more about making sure quality doesn’t get too high and too expensive.
These mistakes are caused by inattention. Inattention is often caused by boredom and subsequent distraction. Get out of your routines if they are boring you. Do it a different way. Stop dreading the referral call, as if you’re begging in the streets. Instead, tell the person, “I was thinking about you, and here’s why….” or “I want to send you a great book, would it be okay?”
I’ve always dealt with the threat of boredom by using humor. Humor decompresses stress and tedium. And this is highly relevant, because almost all humor is based in pain!!