Well, here I go again. The blogger in me has surfaced. Hmmmmm....today's topic? What about short attention spans...and I don't mean in 2 year olds! LOL
WHAT????? REALLY?????
I'm not sure about all of you. I have become a bit shocked at today's hysterics over......well, anything it seems! Technology is great. However, it seems to have created an even shorter attention spans. And not only in children...in adults...who in turn teach their children. How many of you have stopped using your cell phone in your car? AT ALL????? Not me. I admit. No, I DO NOT text in my car...unless it is at a very long light and I have a very short response.
I went one full day without using my cell phone in my car one day running errands. Because I run my business from home, I wondered what would happen. Well, the day I did not return calls at stoplights or in parking lots I actually lost business. I had a call for an event. I returned the call a few hours after it was received. The response? "I found someone else"
WHAT????? REALLY?????
Imagine my frustration? The truth is...in this day of instant gratification, instant response, instant everything....simple tasks, simple manners really, take on new meaning. I chose to be responsible driving that day. I would hope that if someone wanted to hire me they would allow me time to respond to their request. Sure, I appreciate an immediate response when I make a phone call. If it is a call to someone or some business I believe to be important, I WILL allow them time to return my call before looking elsewhere.
The type of business I am in requires human contact, human interaction, human responses. I respect that when I call someone, anyone, I do not know what they are doing when the phone rings. Sure, Caller ID allows us to make a choice to answer a call if we are indeed, in the middle of a task. If I get a call and know the person is a friend, I many choose to not answer and finish what I am doing. This allows the friend to leave a message and allows me to give them my full attention when I return the call.
Clients may think otherwise. If a client is someone who has been given a list of people to call and inquire simply about price, the secretary let's say, most likely does not care who answers, does not have enough knowledge about the subject to give a response or not time and will not leave a message. If only price matters, honestly, I will NOT be hired. If it is a client who has hired me in the past or has actually SEEN me perform, I hope they will allow me time to return their call understanding that I am human and may not be able to return a call INSTANTLY.
WHAT????? REALLY??????
Instant gratification. Short attention spans. They are not just for 2 year olds anymore. Slow down. Take a breath. Hang up and Drive. Allow others to do the same. I do love the old phrase, "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part." I will make every effort to return calls, answer the phone, return an email as promptly as HUMANLY possible. Patience is a virtue. QUALITY IS worth waiting for, paying for, listening to and having. Instant gratification is not what I'm all about...unless it is when I go for a kid giggle while performing....kid giggles certainly give instant gratification to all within earshot!
I hope you will remember we are human beings. Sure, I am not able to live without my Blackberry. Mostly because it keeps my calender at my fingertips, allows me to have my office at my fingertips and take with me. I don't have it in order to talk on the phone 24/7 or while I am driving.
Have a wonderful day. Stop and smell the lilacs. Enjoy a long walk. Pet your dog. Hug your child. Slow down.
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