Success... Being able to give consistent results, in a changing world

So Many people have their own brand of success... How much money they have, how well they do in a given situation, how many tracks they hand out at any given time... In a world that is changing as rapidly as Starbucks(tm) changes their daily brew, how can we continue to seek after success. If the Line of demarcation between success and failure is fluctuating so much, how can we say we are a success at anything?

Our staff was recently reading a book entitled Raving Fans... A MUST Read for anyone in ministry, or business! One of the points that was communicated was that to be successfull you need to "Give It 1%". No you didn't read that wrong, it said 1%. The concept is quite simple. In a world that is dissatisfied around every turn, the last thing they expect is that you would consistently give them what you have promised... Now imagine a place where you get exactly what has been promised, and exactly what you have come to expect, then one day they stepped it up by 1%... do you think you would notice?

-- A Practical Example--
The Waffle House-
If you have ever been, there is a common occurance that I think everyone will agree with.
Placemats, Sealed to the table with a substance that, atone time covered a pancake, but now can be classified as a biohazard experiment gone wrong. That is consistancy...
I have yet to go to a waffle house and not have my arm hairs ripped out by sitting them on the table...

Now what if that same reasturant decided to give 1% and clean their tables well after the patrons leave? What if... after some time of doing that consistently, they start having silverware placed at the clean table when you sat down... How many of us would 1. be surprised, and 2. actually concider it as a possible reasturant choice durring norman life hours (Not just ... that place that will always be open when you have no other options)

I think that if people would spend more time judging their success for today by what they did yesterday, instead of the "NORM" we would see a societity that would be far more advanced, and successfull than we have ever seen...

It's all about the 1%

Never Eat Cheetos while Listening to "The White Album"

Murphy's law states that "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong". How true is this... hence murphy's "LAW". I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately, primarily because of a situation that my wife and I have been walking through. The more I think about relationships the more I realize how much it is the little things that will make or break an evening. Picture this for me if you will...
Say you are watching tv one evening and you get thirsty, naturally your first response is to jump up and get something to drink. Say in this particular situation you decide to ask your spouse if they are thirsty as well....

This is where it gets tricky

Say they are in fact thirsty, what comes out of your mouth in the next few seconds can make or break your evening... and possibly even you.

Response #1 "What would you like dear and I will get it/make it for you"
Response #2 "While you are up, why don't you fix me a coke"
Response #3 "Well, if you had gotten off from your butt and gone to the store, you wouldn't be thirsty now... would you?

I am still young, and have not been married for very long, but I think that anything other than Response #1 will probably get you in a heap of trouble!

~~ You see, I am finding out more and more how much the little things matter in life. The delicate way we either use our situations to better our own lives, or help other people through theirs... It's like trying to proof read a report while eating cheetos... just a little but will effect the whole thing, and you may not be able to salvage what's left... but if you are really really carefull, and pay more attention to what is "White" than to your own need for cheesy poofs(cheetos) you can have enjoyment on many different levels.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Starbucks (tm)

As I am sitting here at my local java depot, sippin on a daily brew, eating my pseudo healthy muffin (it has bran in it), I am amazed at how easily we have been trained to demand what we expect. One of the reason's I come to this particular depot on sunday morning, is because they offer a blueberry bran muffin. All of the health of a piece of bark, and twice the sugar! In fact, I will drive a couple of extra miles to go to this coffee shop, just because they have something that I have come to expect they will have... my "blue plate special" if you will ... Muffin deJour.
As I am eating this wonderfull creation I wonder, do I judge other coffee shops, because they don't have what I "EXPECT" them to have? Where in the coffee shop owner's handbook does it say that to be a successfull coffee shop, one must purchase and sell, at a reasonable price, a blueberry bran muffin? If I go to another coffee shop, I am usually disapointed if they don't have this particular muffin... why? It's a COFFEE shop for cryin out loud... not a EVERY MUFFIN UNDER THE SUN shop! Coffee, you know... black gold, texas T... oh wait, scratch that.

Anyway, one of my many points is this,
... How much are we lead by our expectations in life~~ I know that there is a need to expect certain things, like gravity... but what about things like relationships?

Have you ever talked with someone, poured out your heart, and walked away upset because you felt like you weren't heard? why? Usually because you didn't recieve the response you expected. What about church? Do you go to a church soly based on your expectations... what happens when those expectations aren't meant... how do you handle it?

Will you drive out of your way just to find a coffee shop that supports your muffin taste? What happens if you get there, with your mouth wattering, and they are out of your favorite muffin... or they don't play your favorite song, or the preacher doesn't preach a message that makes you feel super happy? What then? Is it time to move on, find a greener pasture, or do we stay put... knowing that hey, they may not have the exact muffin that I want, but I am willing to try something new... and I might find a new favorint muffin inthe process. I am astounded at the amount of relationships today that end in divorce, all for this simple view of... if I can't get it here, there are plenty of other places where I can get what I expect. Except for one problem.

No one, No Church, No Wife, No Coffee Shop, and No GOD, will give you what you expect, and want 100% of the time... so what needs to change?


............ I'm Just Sayin!

Welcome To: Track Seven!

An Introduction?
Why not!
My name; Timothy R. Heistand. For anyone reading this blog, please let me point out one simple and undeniable fact... I have terrible grammer skills! I am married to a very beautiful and loving woman whom loves me terifficly and I irritate on a regular basis, have two very hyper and hairy children (chihuahua-strider and terrier-kalie), a big truck and a motorcycle... There, enough said.
My purpose in this blog is to take all of the random thoughts in my head and throw them at a wall so I can see what sticks (Translation... i will type my thoughts and feelings for the sole purpose of developing a line of communication with those who may be interested).
If you have read this, then I congratulate you on a job well done, and I will post again soon!