ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 12, 1999

This issue is a little longer than usual, but I hope you will find the ideas worth a few extra minutes.

DISTINCTIONS: Balance vs. Balancing
A lot of people talk about their desire to be in balance. But what is balance? How do you know when you're "there"? What I've found is most people confuse being in balance with the act of balancing. Balancing requires a conscious awareness, an efforting; it takes energy. Balancing is about action and comes from your head. A subtle feature of balancing is that it is about the future -- believing that somehow things will be better "when you are in balance".

Being in balance is unconscious. It's something you feel in your body, an ease and a sense of strength with reserves of energy. Instead of working at it, balance includes automatic course corrections and even the permission to be out of balance for a while -- without fretting about it -- if that serves you. To be in balance requires insight and clarity about who you are and about what matters most to you.

Coaching Point: Most people who are in balance never talk about it, it's just a part of who they are.

(Note: This is another gem from Steve Straus' 3-Minute Coaches Contribution e-letter. To get on his list, send an email to <mailto:majordomo@StrausUSA.com> and in the body of your email include the text subscribe 3-minute-l youremailaddress (that's an "el" not a "one" )

STILL MORE SCAMS
Martin Hershey writes that he's been in the Blimpie business 21 years and shares several good ones that took place in Atlanta. Should make good content for a FOH staff meeting.

1. We received a hysterical phone call from a lady who said she had lost her diamond ring. She asked for us to search the restaurant for it. No one had seen it or found it. She said she would call back in awhile for the results of the search. Then, a customer came in, purchased food and sat down and eat his sandwich. While doing so, he found a diamond engagement ring on or under the table, and brought it to the cashier, who was very surprised. The lady called back to check on the results of the search, and was most grateful that it had been turned in. She was so grateful that she said she was going to give a $100 reward to the people who found it and kept it for her. The finder, finished eating his sandwich, had to get on the road to Tennessee, so the lady on the phone suggested that the employee give the finder his share ($50) and she would be there in 1/2 hour with the $100 reward and pick up her ring. Needless to say, we are still waiting for her, and the ring came from a box of cracker Jacks or similar!!!

2. There were several customers in line. One purchased his food with a $100 bill and was given his change. Several customers later, a man asked the cashier if she had any $50 or $100 bills that he could buy, as he was ending his sister some money for a present and only had a pile of ones, too big to mail in an envelope for a present. The employee said "why yes, I just got a $100 bill" so the transaction was undertaken. The customer gave the employee an envelope with 100 ones for the $100 bill. The employee, no dummy, proceeded to count the money and found it was only $97, short three dollars. The customer was surprised, but said he would go out to the car and get more money. He gave the $100 bill (in the envelope to be mailed) to the employee to hold. along with the envelope with the 97 ones . . . and never came back. The envelope to the sister was of course, empty and the envelope with 97 ones had only paper in it!

3. Then there was the twenty dollar bill that was really a single with the corners from several twenties taped on to look like a twenty at a quick glance.

4. And of course, the quick change artist that was so good that the employee told us the drawer was $20 over and he should get the money, as the customer he had just waited on was so dumb he left his money on the counter! HA!

Is this a fun business or what?

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