...I don't want to be the kind of person who is so self-centered that I don't see when I do something wrong or when I am the cause of trouble or discontent. I hope that I will continue to be more self-aware so that I can truly make a positive impact on the world around me instead of leaving contention and disarray in my wake. I need to be more aware of the cause and effect of my actions and words. If I am, then I will have the confidence I need to act or speak up when it is necessary, and to do what needs to be done. I may not change the world, but I can surely change myself and can surely come to understand the needs of others.
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Falling Stars
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I think often about what it means to provide good customer service in BYU Housing. Most people probably think that customer service is just being nice and doing things as fast as they can. They feel that people who don't need to wait are being well-served. However, I've noticed a trend as I have worked in my place of business for nearly three years. Customers have become increasingly unable to plan ahead, to be patient individuals, or tend to their own needs. This poses the greatest obstacle in providing good customer service in my office. Our mission statement: to "...enable individuals to Live, Learn, Work, and Grow..."
We are pushed to help the people we serve to grow and be able to function in future communities in which they might find themselves. feel free to skip the following section if you have read or are aware of previous rants regarding my place of business They come in wanting immediate service for things which they repeatedly request last-minute (when we have told them using varied methods that they should try to give a weeks notice) and the get angry if we are unable to accommodate. In the past people realized that actions had consequences and they were better able to deal with that. If I want a bed for the weekend and I know for a month that I need it, I should call before 4:45 p.m. on Friday, since I've been told to try and call a week ahead of time. If I am told it is not possible, I know that it is my fault and I accept that I will simply be sleeping on the floor. Other times people come in wanting immediate help when there is one person in the office and they are the 2nd person in line. They tap their feet, cross there arms, and sigh--can the office be any slower? We find out that they want to look at an apartment because they're thinking about signing a contract so we get their information, due to the rather high possibility that they key will be lost or not returned promptly. All the while they are looking all over the place, talking quickly, and more sighing ensues. Finally, we receive a letter stating that they forgot to tell us they were moving out 30 days before hand, so they are telling us 5 days prior to their move out. They are requesting that we don't charge them the $75+ (under cost, mind you) of cleaning/damage charges they have earned because they lost their apartment keys, put a hole in the wall, and decided not to try and clean their bathroom, stove, walls, cupboards, or vacuum their floor in addition the $465+ they own for not submitting the move-out notification that they agreed to when signing the contract. major portion of rant ends.
What are we doing for our tenants if we literally break our backs to get them that furniture, send them on their merry way without having all the necessary information, or completely relieve them of their financial responsibilities? Well, we won't be able to deliver any more furniture in the near future because we'll be disabled, we will not be able to have future prospective tenants see apartments because we can't find where the apartment keys went, and our previous tenants will understand responsibility even less than they did before. They will suffer in their future jobs, in their future families, and in their relationships. They will not understand that sometimes life requires effort and planning. The future tenants will suffer because our costs will rise and we will need to raise their costs so that we can cover all of the grounds, maintenance, and cleaning services we offer, including apartment updates, and we will need to cut summer activities, informational newsletters and online notices that currently keep the tenants informed and reminded of their contractual responsibilities, fun things available to them, and keep them connected to their communities. We will need to eliminate office hours because we can't afford the electricity, opening socials, health & safety fairs, and more. this is really the end of the previous rant.
What we do makes an impact on those around us. While my place of business is not God, we still have a responsibility to love and teach those we serve. We can't teach if we do everything we can to accommodate our people even when they have not made an effort to take care of themselves. There's a fine line between everything we (as friends, employers, etc.) can do and everything we should do for others, kind of like parents. If mom and dad do everything for their children, then those children may not learn to do things for themselves. If they do nothing for their children, those children may not see the proper way things should be done. Children need to be taught, and as we grow into adulthood we should still be learning.
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Falling Stars
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So, I was pondering my progress in my tap class yesterday. I still feel like I am floundering on a rather frequent basis, but I am doing better. We are learning a new dance and I know what all of the steps are and have a decent grasp on the timing, though I can't quite do them yet. When the class first began I was SO LOST and behind pretty much the entire time, and then things started to click a bit more. My feet are faster and I'm finally beginning to understand the composition steps that I didn't know before. I still can't do all of the warm-ups and my memory is awful, but again--it's getting better. Others that began the class with me quit, though for some it was to move up a level because our class was too easy, and now I get more individual help because I feel like I am less of an imposition when I ask for aid. I am glad I refused to give up when I 'knew' I probably should.
That wasn't the whole of my though process, though. What I was really thinking was how I have come SO far from what I was able to do (dance-wise) before coming to Utah and BYU. I have learned new styles of dance and pushed myself to become better at the ones I have already done before. I am far from the same dancer I was before and am much more self-aware. All of the stress and the tears is worth it. If I went back now I would be on a completely different level! There are many I will probably never catch up with, but if I had not been struggling I would not be what I am now. I am glad that I am no longer the same dancer I was before. I have better poise, a better sense of timing, and I have the fact that I have not given up. Others that began the class with me quit, though for some it was to move up a level because our class was too easy, and now I get more individual help because I feel like I am less of an imposition when I ask for aid. I am glad I refused to give up when I 'knew' I probably should. Not giving up is always worth it, to me, in the end.
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"...patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" --Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Continue in Patience
That talk was greatly beneficial to me by the way. As a beginning practice in greater patience I am no sucking on a fruit snack without chewing on it. This one is down to about 40%. I have had several previous failed attempts.
**10 Minute Update: Success Achieved! Now to try again :-= Really, though, it made sense to me when Pres. Uchtdorf said that those who have patience can have hope. I know that if I am used to having everything in the moment that I want it I become anxious where there is the slightest hitch in any of my plans. Anxiety does not frequently equate to hope, but rather a lack thereof--anxious individuals forget that something which does not come immediately may still come, even if it is not on their timeline. When I truly am in a state where I grasp the principle of patience, I understand that truth. I am able to wait for things, to persevere in my struggles, because I know that life unfolds on its own, whether we beckon it to move along or not--but simply waiting for life to happen can cause anxiety. We must be industrious to be able to grasp true patience. For example, there have been times that I've expected a phone call and it seemed to never come. I can sit there and do nothing or I can go about other tasks while I am waiting or call the person myself if the situation permits. If I do nothing I become unable to do other things and the time I wait seems to go on forever. If I am productive then the time which passes will go by quickly and I will have accomplished much in the meantime.
As President Uchtdorf spoke about his scholarly endeavors in his youth, I connected immediately with his words. I have several classes which I am struggling in, and I see everyone else doing better, moving faster and more efficiently, and understanding quickly. To some of us it is not given to understand things with the same speed as others. It takes more work and it takes more time. It takes patience, but with true patience, achievement will come. I may eventually become one of the best, or I may merely become proficient, but I will have accomplished more than if I had given up.
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Falling Stars
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While attending an Open House at the University Press Building to view their new Indigo Digital Press, I found out that they do university and personal jobs. The one that caught my attention the most was their book making/binding services. I could write my own book and have it made with exceptional quality right here in my own backyard. I decided it would be fun, now and when I have children of my own, to write and illustrate for them personalized stories. It would be all about them (name and all!) and adventures we have had (or could make up!). It could be a single book or a series of adventures, whatever worked out. It would make a great Christmas or Birthday present in addition to being a fun way to encourage a child to learn to read and be creative. I'm excited about 'Project Book' and I think my first book will be for Harley, the faux child. Her mother will be bringing her earlier tonight, so I would like to sit down with her and make up a story with her. I'm excited, and I hope that I find that I can paint or draw well enough to make this happen! Or I guess I could commission someone, but I want I don't want 'Project Book' to end up costing too much! :-= It may be too late for a Christmas but Harley's birthday is in January and I should be just in time for that!
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Falling Stars
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...and I see all of the papers and objects that I horde, and I think, "Who am I kidding? I'm not even interested in going to that event or taking that class!" When I do, it is time to de-clutter. De-cluttering is something positively I SUCK at. I'm trying to do better. Today I threw 16 fliers/brochures for events that have passed or that I will never be interested in attending. (The fact that there were 16 items to throw away and there are still plenty left gives a small glimpse into the actual scope of the problem.) Maybe that's what I need to do at work and at home--just set a goal to toss 5 unnecessary or duplicate items out a day, not including actual garbage. Why am I such a pack rat? Nobody will ever know. Oh, well, one step at a time will get me there so I'll just keep on walking.
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Falling Stars
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Tenant: "Can you tell me how to write my address?"
Office: "Sure. The address line is your apartment number followed by '[Insert the Complex Name Here]' and the zip code is #####."
Tenant: "So, my apartment number followed by [Complex's Name]? So that's all?"
Office: "Correct. If you include your building number your mail may not reach you. It messes up the post office." (We say this when we can tell people don't trust us to give them correct information because they think more info. needs to be on the envelope.)
Tenant: "Okay. One last thing--can you tell me my apartment number? I don't know it yet."
Office: "*blinkblink* (jokingly, but really serious) You could attach it to the inside of your [shirt] collar like they do for little kids. Nah, just kidding. :)"
Tenant: "It's a small number. I have trouble remembering those."
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Uhm... I feel that if you can get married you can learn your address here. It's on your front door. Nice person, though, I won't argue that.
