Who Says Customer Service is Only for the Customer?

Over the course of the past two weeks I’ve noticed a common thread weave through my daily life over and over again. A co-worker recently attended a Customer Service workshop and that, it seems, is when this repeated theme began. She returned from this seminar excited and eager to share what she had learned. If you read last week’s blog then you know that the Soul Sisters attended "Wishes Fulfilled", a cinema event featuring Dr. Wayne Dyer. It was an amazing evening with a great message. We highly recommend it. Dr. Dyer also touched briefly on Customer Service. “Ducks quack and complain and eagles soar above the crowd,” was his lead in to the story about Wally the Cab Driver.

I’ve always been an advocate for great customer service. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you provide exceptional service to those you serve. It’s a skill that is learned and acquired that improves with experience and practice; something I think that has gone by the wayside in some of our businesses, stores, and restaurants of today. That is a whole other blog topic that I will save for another time.

When we talk about customer service usually the first question we ask is, who is our customer? Depending on your type of business some of the answers might be: Clients, patients, homeowners, patrons, parishioners, or students. But, I can almost guarantee on your list of customers that we very rarely see the word, “ME”.

Do we strive to provide ourselves with the special treatment we usually save for our best client? Do we under promise and over deliver when is comes to taking care of us? Do we cut corners, constantly complain, come up with excuse after excuse rather than fix the problem? Or do we simply just exhibit a lack of self respect?

They say that customers know within the first 3 seconds whether they will have a pleasant experience or one that will leave them feeling unhappy and unsatisfied. It all comes down to the first impression. As weird as it seems, we are given regular opportunities to wow ourselves with our own first impression.

Ask yourself, “Do I give myself the best I have?" If we provide ourselves with the service normally found in the five star hotels or the most luxurious restaurants then we have the power to make ourselves feel like queens everyday.

Jenny,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:

"Customer service is not a department, it's an attitude!" ~Unknown

Wishes Fulfilled

I’ve always been a fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer. If you are unfamiliar with his work, he’s an inspiring international speaker and renowned author of best selling books like “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life”, “The Power of Intention”, and most recently “Excuses Begone”.

A few months back I set my sites on manifesting a meeting with him. Actually the thought never really entered my mind until one day last summer when several coincidences brought his name to my attention repeatedly. As one who tries to live open to all possibilities and opportunities, I wasn’t about to turn my back on this message from the Universe.

It all started when I saw PBS was going to be airing a special broadcast of Dr. Wayne Dyer based on his newly released book “Excuses Begone”. Then I received an email announcing Dyer’s “Excuses Begone” tour and seminar, which was being held in one of my favorite destinations in the world, Maui, HI. And, the event was to take place…on my birthday! As if this wasn’t enough to pique my interest, there was a contest...airfare to Maui, tickets to the workshop, and lodging for two. Yes, it was definitely a sign and the only obstacles that stood in my way was winning the contest, and then deciding how to get the third soul sister in on the deal!

I wasn’t about to take any chances. I immediately created my vision board to manifest my sisters and me meeting Wayne Dyer in Maui on October 23. I assembled pictures of a smiling and friendly Dr. Dyer along with beautiful scenes from a past visit to Maui. One picture of Dr. Dyer showed him with an arm around a smiling woman. I set to work cropping out her face and inserting mine. I thought it looked very realistic. My husband thought it looked a little creepy and remarked that he sincerely hoped nothing mysterious happened to Dr. Dyer or the FBI would be knocking at our door! (Tell me what do you think. The picture appears above).

I wasn’t worried; I’m no stalker. I did keep the board out on my desk so I could see it daily however, and visualized the experience including the feelings, sights, and smells. I even practiced what I would say when I was called with the news of winning, “Please tell Dr. Dyer I’ve been expecting this call.”

September 1 came around, the date when the winner was to be contacted. The phone didn’t ring and I didn’t receive an email either. No special delivery letter…was there some mistake? My initial disappointment gave way to acceptance. It must not have been my time and reconciled myself to the fact that my wishes would not be fulfilled.

Then, another coincidence…I’ve recently learned of a special Wayne Dyer opportunity that I would love to pass along. It’s not the face-to-face meeting I had hoped for but this meeting has some perks of its own, including the opportunity for you to join us!

Yes, Dr. Wayne Dyer will be coming to your local cinema to talk about how to live your true life purpose. And get a load of this title…The “Wishes Fulfilled” event will be taking place on January 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (with an encore performance February 4 at 7:30 p.m.)! It’s not Wayne Dyer “live” but it is a professionally directed taping of a recent live performance. Plus, everyone who attends receives a special gift (a recording of “Putting the Excuses Begone Paradigm to Work in Your Life” which is a $20 value). I’m looking forward to this unique opportunity for self-development and personal empowerment and encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity too! No airfare or overnight accommodations required, and that makes it an opportunity that everyone can take part in! Yes, in a way this event will live up to its name for me. Finally, my wishes will be fulfilled!

You can find participating theaters in your area here.

And, if by chance Dr. Dyer does appear live at your location, please tell him I’m awaiting his call!

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

The Power of Believing

It’s been years, as I’m sure it has been for most of you, since I’ve watched the movie E.T. And to be honest I don’t remember much of the details of the film. I came across a quote from the movie earlier today that struck a chord with me though. At some point in the movie (I don’t even recall when) Elliot says to E.T., “I'll believe in you all my life.”

OK, so yes, I feel a little silly getting emotional over a line from an 80's movie but when I stop to think about this line deeper it occurs to me that this is exactly what each of us need. We all need someone to believe in us all their lives. As I think back through the years there are a handful of people who I will always remember for believing in me. They stand out the most because they believed for no reason at all. They didn’t have a vested interest in my success or failure but they still cheered me on every step of the way.

So what about the people in your life? Who around you could use these words of encouragement from you; your spouse, your children, a friend? Take some time today to drop an email or a card telling these loved ones that you believe in them and see what a difference it can make!

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soul-spiration of the Week:
“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” ~Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1958, spoken by the character Holly Golightly

Unlikely Teachers

As we go through our day to day life we interact with many people; some pleasant and some, shall we say, not so pleasant. We’ve all been there . . . in a store, on the street, at a restaurant--we bump into the “crabby family”. Mom is yelling at kids, kids are yelling at each other, and dad is being not so nice to mom. We have the tendency to walk the other direction, turn the other way, anything to get away from the constant yelling and degrading talk.

Do you realize that these are special chosen individuals who come into our lives to teach us? What could these crabby, negative, unhappy people possibly teach us, you ask? Everything, if we let them!

Every person you meet has a story to tell and a lesson to teach. Maybe you dealt with an arrogant salesman today. You can take something away from that conversation that will benefit you in the future; whether it is in the workplace, or at home with your family. These people are brought into our lives to teach us humility, patience, respect, inspiration, acceptance, and the list goes on. Not to mention, maybe we need a reminder once in awhile of what we don’t want to become.

Open your eyes and your heart to every person who crosses your path. With every word and action they can indeed teach us amazing things.

Jenny,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“I am part of all that I have met.” ~Lord Tennyson

Top Questions of 2009: What is the Meaning of Life?

Ask.com recently released their Top Questions of 2009 list. Not surprisingly, right up there with “What time is it,” and “What is Miley Cyrus’ phone number,” is this whopper; “What is the meaning of life?”

You’ve probably asked yourself this very question, although maybe not phrased quite this way. Do any of these biggies sound familiar?

“What’s my life purpose?”
“Why was I put on the earth?”
“Is this all there is?”

Ironically, it was this very question that awoke a passion and spurred a new kind of women’s revolution. It’s what originally sparked the idea of a small group of women, of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences, meeting regularly for the purpose of learning, teaching, supporting, and empowering. Back then they were “empowerment groups” today we call then “Soulspring Groups”.

What we came to realize is that the meaning of life is about fulfilling your purpose. Fulfilling your purpose is about following your passions. To follow your passions, you first must discover and then put them to good use. And yes, that’s where Soulspring comes in!

As we head into a new year and decade, we see an ever-growing need for a women’s empowerment crusade. When it comes to “empowerment” we all have it in us, but many are too tired, afraid, busy, stressed, confused, pre-occupied…(I could go on and on), to apply our talents and what we know to making real change in our lives, and the lives of those around us. Yet, when we do step up; oh, what great and wonderful things happen!

We’re living in an amazing time and at Soulspring we couldn’t be more exited about what the future holds. We’ll be asking for your help from time to time, but we vow that our members, friends, fans, and followers will be richly rewarded!

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week
“The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.” ~Richard Leider

The Gift of Memories

As I get more seasoned as a mother I realize more and more how great my own parents are. They provided for all our needs as we grew up but always put more attention on the non-material things in life. They were constantly putting time into making memories with us over buying an over-abundance of gifts. Our Christmases from the past included caroling, tobogganing, homemade eggnog, and surprise visits from Santa. Each year was complete with a flurry of gift opening as well, but these are the memories I remember. Yes, we all want the best for our children but I think there is something to be said for a child to be raised with wanting some things that they never quite get. And for those gifts that they do get…isn’t the excitement that much more intense when a gift has been on their wish list for years prior?

As my children get older I try to parent them as my parents did my siblings and me. Instead of putting the focus on the gifts at Christmas, I try to put the focus on making memories. Memories are a funny thing though; there is no way for me to know what things my kids will remember and what they will forget. All I can do is to take the time to create memorable experiences for them and hope that they remember.

We got home at about 10:30pm on Christmas Eve, after a busy evening of church and then a family gathering. The drive home was a little treacherous, but once we made it we could appreciate the beautiful evening; calm winds, warm temps in the upper 20’s, and the hugest snowflakes coming down over our neighborhood. Now my normal routine is to hurry from the car into house while my husband unloads the kids. But this night was different as I instantly saw an opportunity to make a memory for my daughter. As we stood at the edge of the garage watching the snowfall I reached down and packed together a snowball and threw it at my husband. I’m still not sure who was more surprised, my husband or my daughter. It took a few moments for her to realize what mommy had just done. Then she let out a laugh like you’ve never heard. Before we knew it all three of us were out in the driveway throwing snowballs at each other. And there we stood, still in our dress clothes from the Christmas evening, having a snowball fight, and making a memory for my daughter.

There was so much to enjoy about this past holiday season but that was easily my highlight and I hope it’s a memory that sticks with my daughter. If not, oh well, I plan to give plenty more throughout the years!

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” ~From the television show The Wonder Years

Is there a Santa Claus?

I don’t remember specifically when I realized that there was no real guy, dressed in red, assisted by elves, who rode around the world in a sleigh powered by flying reindeer? If I had to guess, I would say I was around 10 years old. I have 3 younger siblings who believed and carried the idea of the real physical Santa on for several years after me. I guess pretending with them, and for them, kept the idea alive for me somewhat.

Now fast forward a number of years. I am now a mom; my son and daughter are at the pivotal ages of “believing” and “kinda sorta believing, but beginning to question”; ages 9 & 12, respectfully. I can’t say that they haven’t inquired about the idea of a Santa who receives their letters every year. In fact, my son asked me a couple weeks ago, “Mom, do you believe in Santa?” I answered him truthfully, “I believe in the magic of Christmas. This is the time of year when Christmas angels make miracles happen. Whatever you believe in your heart is the true spirit of the Season.” He must have been satisfied with that answer because he does still 100% believes in Santa. And, I thank God that he didn’t ask me, “Mom, is there really a Santa?” instead. I don’t know how I would’ve answered that question. Talk about your Christmas miracles.

It won’t be long before these two give into the peer pressures of their friends and this one Christmas secret will soon be a memory. Yes, this might just be the last year of tip-toeing their presents under the tree in the middle of the night. With that said, this year I will treasure the moment seeing the magic in their eyes, and excitement on their faces when they finally see the gifts under the tree. Although, Santa may not stop at our house next year, the spirit of everything Santa stands for will be forever in our home.

Now, I pray that my son doesn’t read this blog before Christmas or my goose is cooked.

Jenny,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder