Entries For: October 2007

"The food we eat, the thoughts we think and the words we speak create how we feel about ourselves now and in the future."

"The definition of enlightenment is being willing to look within and see ourselves without judgment."

Wise woman, eh?

I give the folks at The Green Peridot a big gold star for their customer service savvy. Why was my experience there great?

1.They were professional and inviting. Everything they did up front - their website, my initial scheduling appointment, their confirmation call - all said in essence "We're glad to hear from you and we look forward to serving you. Your business matters to us."

2. They were personal, too. When I walked in the door, both front desk people greeted me with smiles and as soon as I explained who I was, my new hair stylist, Suzi, came out to greet me and shook me by the hand and said "Hi, I'm Suzi!" (I've been amazed at how many people do not follow this simple rule of good business etiquette!)

3. They were good problem solvers. Apparently, Suzi's schedule got a little wonky today and she was running 30 minutes late when I arrived. But they had a plan. First, they'd tried to call me to avert the problem but I'd already left the house. Then when I arrived, Suzi explained to me my options "I'm so sorry, I'm running late. Do you have some other errands you could do? Would you like to shop in the area? You could sit and read? Or we could reschedule you for another day. Whatever you would like."

She left the choice up to me which felt SO great! How many times do you sit waiting for an appointment and feel annoyed because you feel "trapped"? I chose to run errands which worked out great for me.

4. They offered good ideas and resources. I'm new to town and still get lost and don't know many people. Suzi gave me some great tips on shortcuts around town and where to go to meet people we might enjoy.

5. The owner introduced herself to me as I was checking out. When she overheard I was new to town, she approached me and shook my hand, asked me a few questions about myself and thanked me for my business.

So, I just popped my thank you note in the mail (yes, snail mail, I decided this deserved a stamp!)to the folks at The Green Peridot and I'll definitely be returning there.

Think about your own business - do you consistently provide great customer service? If not, what small changes could you make to have big results?

Think about other businesses you frequent - when was the last time you acknowledged someone for doing a great job? I'd encourage you to try it...it made me feel great to write a thank you note and I imagine they'll be tickled to receive it.

What do you think are other hallmarks of good customer service? Please comment... I'd love to hear your ideas!

I saw inspirational powerhouse speakers and authors Louise Hay, Caroline Myss, Doreen Virtue, Sonia Choquette, Colette Baron-Reid and Denise Linn. The overarching theme of the weekend was the notion that our intuition, what several speakers referred to as our "sixth sense", is one of our greatest resources. They talked about the exhaustion and frustration of being controlled by our ego as compared to the joy and ease of being led by our spirit.

I will be exploring the topic more in depth in the coming weeks but for now, I want you to consider the following:

- How does your intuition speak to you? In feelings, physically ("my gut tells me..."), words ("the little voice in my head..."), symbols, coincidence or serendipitous occurrences, or simply a knowing?

- When does your intuition speak to you? When you are... praying? meditating? in the shower? making an important decision? petting your cat or walking your dog?

- What does your intuition say? "Talk to that person at the meeting", "Turn right here", "Take next Friday off", "write that down!", "quit your job", "cancel that meeting", "change lanes now!" even when those things don't make logical sense to our ego mind?

I have worked hard at developing (look at that ego language, will you?!)... let me try again... I have been more open and ready to listen to my intuition in the last few years. And what a positive and profound difference it has made in my life!

More on this topic soon...

It's kind of like horseshoes but with bean bags. Our friend Fritts made a corn hole set in his wood working studio and proudly shared it with us this weekend. We had a blast pitching the bean bags (filled with corn) into the hole (thus the name "corn hole") and perfecting the art of throwing bean bags!

We had the most fun playing in the parking lot in the rain tailgating before and after the game. Apparently it's a popular game up north and at NASCAR events, but it seems as though noone in Tallahassee had seen it played. We got some strange looks for sure! To learn more, visit the American Cornhole Association's website.

It's a fun, wholesome, easy to play, family friendly game. A nice change from being caught up with watching television...

When was the last time you played a fun, silly game outside in the rain? You could try croquet or kickball or frisbee or bocci at your next gathering.

But at our house, corn hole is the new favorite. Come visit us and we'll play!

Percy (foreground), Graham (on the left) and Jasper (in the background) are happy to help me with my work.

Problem is, there's barely enough room for ME at my desk! :-)

In addition to doing some consulting and training with some of my favorite clients in Asheville, NC at Horse Sense of the Carolinas and Windows on the Park, I managed to squeeze in visits with a variety of friends. It was wonderful AND I returned home exhausted, drained and craving sleep. I tried to pack too much into a short time.

In the past, I would have logged several hours on my computer catching up with e-mail and returning phone calls right away, but this time was different. My six weeks of "time off" encouraged me to make different choices.

My body gently but persistently called "you need  rest! " for the first 48 hours that I was home. So instead of pushing through my discomfort (fever, congestion, aches, etc), I decided to listen. I slept, laid on the couch, watched TV, read and relaxed.

Now I feel ready to play "catch up". I think...

When was the last time you listened to your body's messages?