Social Media

Tips for Minding Your Manners on Social Media

Beware of Crossing the Line

I love sarcasm, but I have a really hard time with 'obnoxious'. This is especially true when people leave irrelevant, or just plain mean comments on social media posts for the accounts that I manage. I have very little patience for it, but I refuse to take the bait.

Smile and Dial

 You may have heard of the phrase “smile and dial,” which has existed in the sales and customer service profession since the advent of the telephone. 

With social media being one of the most popular methods of communication these days, we don’t spend anywhere near as much time on the phone - at least not for verbal conversations. But the “smile and dial” concept is something that we can still keep in mind to help us be polite, as well as to maintain our professional reputation and goodwill with our customers - and most important always remember that in the business world in particular, we are all each other’s customer- even your co-workers!

Dealing with social media hecklers and hasslers can be challenging, but the key is in maintaining a consistent approach, considering the source of the issue - no matter how it's being presented - and working to find solutions where possible. You won't always be able to turn a negative interaction around, but by keeping these principles in mind, you can manage how you respond.

Optimist and Pessimist

Below was from a Household Goods Driver and Professional Mover with over 40 years in the industry——  


Pessimist

pes·si·mist

noun: pessimist; plural noun: pessimists

1.A person who tends to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
"the pessimists point to ways in which life has deteriorated"
2.Philosophy
A person who believes that this world is as bad as it could be or that evil will ultimately prevail over good.
"he finds solace in the writings of pessimist philosophers"

Optimist

op·ti·mist

noun: optimist; plural noun: optimists

1. A person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something.

"only an eternal optimist could expect success"
2. Philosophy
a person who believes that this world is the best of all possible worlds or that good must ultimately prevail over evil.

Optimists are people who believe in a positive manner, viewing problems as drawbacks to overcome. They are positive in their way of doing things. Optimists view individuals as the cause of life happenings. They have a healthier life as compared to pessimists since optimists have good health " and have a feeling of self-pity. In comparison, optimists have a positive attitude about things. Furthermore, optimists are considered as winners, while pessimists are referred as losers.
Similarly, in case of a failure, optimists are able to gain strength and stand again, whereas pessimists stay down after a fall. Optimists use their mistakes as learning avenues, while pessimists keep repeating similar mistakes all time round. During projects, optimists are positive and do appreciative the entire project process, while on the other hand, pessimists run for immediate results due to their impatience.

In case of new ideas, optimists are open and eager to learn new experiences. They accept risks in all endeavors. On the contrary, pessimists are very fearful and close-ended, as they observe everything negatively. It makes most optimists succeed in business, while pessimists have a continuous trend of failure. Similarly, the success of pessimists is luck-based, while that of optimists is mostly based on ability. It is because pessimists are rigid and give up very fast, while optimists are flexible and persevered.
Commonly, pessimists are the people who usually blame others for their failures or misfortune. In contrast, optimists are unique in nature, as they take responsibility of anything that comes their way. They always see opportunities, while the pessimists see loopholes of failure. In most occasions, pessimists are the people who will make promises of which they never achieve. On the other hand, optimists are very committed to any agreement set between parties. They work hard towards achieved or any agreement made.
In the first place, optimists believe in themselves, while pessimists have doubt in their capability. Pessimists believe they cannot do anything, while optimists believe they are capable of all things. In addition, optimists believe they are in full control of everything; they are aimed at making tomorrow brighter than today. Past failures do not matter in an optimist life, as they value improvement. On the other hand, pessimists have little control over their lives; they never believe they can lead they love to be directed, as they fear failure and disapproval from colleagues.
Finally, optimists are believed to be forward-looking, as they believe in the present. They work hard for a prosperous and bright future. Optimists have neutrality of situations, which gives them a golden chance to good results. Their daily positive thinking and actions translate to a great future. In contrast, pessimists are not forward lookers, who have a bleak future. They base their future success on experience. What is more, pessimists are negative on initiatives, as they view them as the waste of time and money. It makes them dependent on the optimists; thus, an optimist leads a pessimist.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that pessimists live much longer than the optimist. It is because optimists take greater risks and often involved in the activities that may cost their lives. Optimists’ activities may result to death or disability. On the contrary, pessimists sit and watch as optimists risk their lives for a successful future. It gives pessimists more lifespan than to optimists.

Think about this,just which personality would you like to work with?In business,the pessimist will always keep things from flowing,managers will be defending every action,taking up time they could be fixing something else.I't's just like a high maintenance employee,that can't take the job and do it.They require constant support.This even applies to people we deal with every day.Do you ever wonder just why,when you call,they look at the number and let it go to voice mail?The high maintenance or negative person will simply be ignored..

All this applies to even our claims department,or even accounting,the last thing they need it to spend hours dealing with “the shipper was an asshole”or “I ain't making no money”.

This post is headed towards instructions as to how to deal with the different things we deal with,every day,how to keep it positive,and,how to get things done.

The “ Why” Matters

There's a story of a man who interviews for a job on a construction crew. The foreman hires the man telling him to show up Monday at 7 a.m. The man shows up and the foreman hands him a shovel and says 'Dig a hole'. The man looks at the foreman strangely - and the foreman repeats the command: 'Your job is to dig a hole.' So, the new hire gets to work, digging and digging. His Monday productivity is pretty good. Tuesday is not bad, Wednesday starts to taper off and by Thursday the man goes home disenchanted. When he arrives to work Friday he throws the shovel at the foot of the foreman saying: 'I quit.' The foreman says: 'Can I ask why?' 'Of course', said the man. 'Every day I come to work and dig this stupid hole. It's meaningless work. I don't have the desire to continue. That's why I quit.' The foreman, mad at himself says to the man: 'Oh wow; I didn't tell you why you are digging the hole did I?' To which the man replies: 'No, you didn't.' The foreman says: 'You are digging the hole where we are going to pour the foundation for the world's tallest building and your name is going on the cornerstone.' The man bent down, picked up the shovel, and with a smile on his face dug like crazy.

So, what do we have here? The job description didn't change. Three words: Dig a hole. What did change is the reason why. Knowing the higher purpose of the work gave the new hire interest, desire, motivation. He felt part of something bigger. He felt he was contributing to a greater goal. He felt part of a team with big plans. He had a purpose.

Are there times at work when as leaders and managers we give a command but forget to explain why? The ultimate 'why' is the mission of the organization itself. Letting the team know they are doing what they are doing so as to support the organization's mission is a pretty good 'why'. Try it some time. What you'll get in return is a more motivated workforce, remembering why they are there. Given a purpose, all of us dig down that little extra as we do our jobs.....

5 Tips

Everything in life is a lesson - good and bad.

People come into your life for a reason, everyone, even that casual relationship in the gym or the friendly person at the grocery store and of course people at your work place and your personal life. Watch and listen and learn.

I always feel like I am learning on this wonderful ride, that does not mean that I think I have the answers because as Don Henley says in one of his songs “ the more I know, the less I understand “. But that is the wonder and the splendor of life , embrace change and learn from everyone and for goodness sake come down from your high horse and push back those negative thoughts. 

Remember these 5 tips. 

1. Never lose your sense of curiosity 

2. Life rushes fast. Live life.

3. Always have trust in yourself that you can do more.

4. Go after your dreams, not people.

5. Don’t have regrets. Treat them as lessons.

My Dog

One of favorite writers and also a renowned trial lawyer Gerry Spence said that he has learned more from his dog then any book, if his dog wants love he simply ask for it and he returns with unconditional love.
My dog, Lola, shows me the same every day.
Lola is close to 14 which is close to 98 in human years, her back legs are starting to fail her and her hearing is not what it was but she still gets up every day and gives it her best and enjoys every day.
She will lay in the backyard on a nice day and raise her head and simply smell the air and love the moment.
I wish people could be more like Lola and their pets, Lola still gets so excited to meet new people, she gets all excited and just wants to say hi and hopefully get a pat on the head and a returned excitement.
You can tell a lot about a person on how a person greets a dog , it shows you how grounded that person is and what they prioritize. It only takes 15 seconds to return that excitement and reward it with a pat and by doing so it actually makes you feel better and keeps you grounded and in the moment.
All though Lola’s legs are betraying her she does not complain,  she will try to do what she thinks she can still do and if she fails she simply finds a work around or moves on, sometimes you just have to listen to your body.
Stop - Slow Down and just take a walk outside if you can and simply raise your head and smell the air and enjoy the moment.

Strip it Down

Feeling overwhelmed?
Voices in your head getting you worried or depressed ?
Strip it Down ... What is most important to you ? And especially- WHO is more important to you ?
Answer that and strip away the rest of it - the noise- the negative- the pressure.
Most times our pressure is self inflicted and most times it is work related or because we allow what “others” say or do to get in our heads.
Strip it Down
It is NOT about the money or the titles I promise you it is not.
The best way to get even or revenge to those that hate or push or want to create their own clicks is to not allow THEM to effect you- do not let them win. You have the power all along so use it, remember who and what is most important to you and focus on that.
Being Rich is having less and wanting less and living in the present!

62

I have been on this earth 62 years today !

I really do not remember much of the first 10 years and spattered memories of the next 5 or so.

Growing up mostly in the 60’s and 70’s I remember walking to the candy store about 4 miles from my home when I was very young, like 11 or so. I walked to a catholic school for the first to third grade also about 4 miles from my home. We played a lot of outdoor sports in the neighborhood, we had woods behind us so we also built a lot of tree forts, we would go to our friends on the street and knock on doors to come out and play and spent many hours just sitting on the front steps or someone’s picnic table. A friends dad had a garden so some summer days we would sit on his picnic table in his back yard and pick a tomato, wash it off  under the faucet and eat it like an apple...delicious! 

We would have fights, makeup and someone would fight again, we slept out in back yards in tents and under the stars. My friends had dogs and they went everywhere with us, bandit and Teddy.

We had our first beers out in the woods and some experienced sex , at probably too young an age in some of outdoor forts in the woods.

We played card games, mostly pitch, high low jack but poker and rummy too sitting outside on picnic tables.

We listened to Sox on the radio sometimes in our yards and played home run derby in a cemetery of all places, they had a huge field in between tomb stones.

Scouts came into my life at 11 and I stated in till I was 16, making the rank of Eagle and loving going camping, my Eagle project was planning a 50 mile hike and picking up trash along the way.

My first job was dishwasher for Newport Creamery at 16 and I met my first girlfriend there and bought my first car, a 1967 convertible Camaro I bought from my Aunt, wish I had it today.

My next job was stocking shelves at a shoe store below the Newport Creamery, I worked both jobs for a while. The manager of the shoe store and I got along very good and he gave me a shot at selling shoes at around 17 years old , at 19 I was his assistant manager and at 21 I became the youngest manager of the retail store Baker Shoes for the Edison Bros chain.

It was at Bakers that I met my wife, Lisa, she worked at the clothing store across from my store, she came in to make believe borrow a screwdriver to check out my assistant but kinda liked me instead, we were married 5 months after that and we are going on 39 years.

Retail was going to start opening on Sundays and I refused to work Sundays, thought that was a day for family and we wanted to start a family so after 3 successful years at Bakers I left for Honeywell to dispatch servicemen for heating and air conditioning buildings in the New England area, had a great supervisor and learned a lot but the branch was in East Providence RI and the home office was in Minneapolis and I preferred to work for a place that the owner actually knew me, I did not want to be just a number. 

Enter Paul Arpin Van Lines, in 1985 I joined Arpin as a dispatcher , moving household goods across the country. I worked my way up eventually to Senior Vice President of Operations, when I started they did around 7 million dollars a year and when I left in 2016 they did over 100 million domestically... it was a fun ride and I made many friends all over the country.

Lisa and I married in 1981, 2 kids that had no money and no idea of the future , all we knew is that we loved each other and enjoyed being with each other, we bought our first house ( with no money) in 1982 and had our first child, Jillian in 1983 followed by our son in 1988.

We loved each other and danced and read books and have nothing but great memories of the growing up years, fast forward and today Jillian is married to a wonderful man, Joe, and have beautiful son Gus. My son is married to a beautiful lady, Angela and have the cutest son, Luca and a baby girl on its way.

I still enjoy spending time with my wife and my family and my Sundays!

Not bad for having no plan - I am living proof that if you believe in love and trust and always try to do your best and help others - anything is possible.

I love my Life

I love my Wife

Enjoying the Ride