Inconvenience Yourself

Email Hacking Let Me Know How Many People Care

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:33:55 +0000

Yesterday morning my email account was hijacked. Everyone in my address book and many people who had sent me or were copied on emails received hoax emails (some people received 7 emails throughout the day) telling of my dire circumstances. I received hundreds of bounce backs myself – they maxed out my inbox. The email recounted my horrible experience in London – I was mugged and held at knifepoint, had no money and had cancelled all my credit cards! The email ended by requesting financial help.

The good news, I was at home in sunny South Florida enjoying a lovely day (until all email-hell broke loose). More good news, the problem appears to have been resolved. The best news, there are a lot of wonderful people in the world. Many of them living the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept every day. How do I know? I was astonished at the phone calls and emails I began receiving before 9am and continued receiving for the next 12 hours. Several people got in touch with me to let me know I had an email problem. Many more contacted me to make sure I was OK. A few of those were actually trying to figure out how they could send me money to help me out of my unfortunate circumstances! One friend was travelling in the Philippines, where it was 1:15am, and he got up and immediately called to make sure I was OK. I also heard from a friend who has moved to Germany (which was news to me yesterday). I communicated with many people I hadn’t talked to in quite a while.

On top of that, family and friends jumped to make phone calls or email others to let them know there was nothing to be concerned about! There are many Inconvenience Yourself™ examples in what happened to me yesterday.

The goodness in people turned what was a horrible, time-consuming experience into a day of reconnecting. Not so bad after all. It was a good reminder of how many wonderful people I have in my life.

Call Back Creates Goodwill

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:20:24 +0000

I submitted my first press release and selected PRWeb to distribute it. There were some issues with the original and I called the company. Karla answered the phone and was in the middle of providing some very useful direction when we got cut off. As I was looking for their phone number again, my phone rang. It was Karla! Fortunately my phone number had shown up on caller ID and she was able to reach out to me. That return phone call combined with her helpfulness convinced me I chose the right company for my press releases.

This may not sound like a big deal. But I can’t count the times I have called companies and spoken to a representative who actually requested (and received) my phone number but when we got cut off, they didn’t bother to call me back.

Karla calling me back is a great example of the Inconvenience Yourself concept.

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:41:55 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Julie Thompson at 954-693-4604

8255 West Sunrise Blvd. #179

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33322

julie@inconvenienceyourself.com

http://www.InconvenienceYourself.com

Inconvenience Yourself™ Contest Winner Announced

Middle school student submits winning drawing

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – February 4, 2008 – Takia Bryant, a middle school student at Hannah Gibbons-Nottingham in Cleveland, OH is the winner of a contest to design a kid-oriented cover for a new version of the Inconvenience Yourself™ journal. The contest was sponsored by Business Inspirations, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Takia received a certificate and an MP3 player for designing the winning entry. She will also receive a copy of the published journal when it is released, and a package of other Inconvenience Yourself™ items, including a silicone wristband and bookmark.

Ms. Ann Thompson, Takia’s language arts teacher, has incorporated the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept into her classroom behavior management system as well as using it in lesson plans. When notified that one of her students had submitted the winning design, Ms. Thompson said, ”Takia captured several Inconvenience Yourself™ ideas into her drawing” which depicts a teenage girl reading to a younger girl, while ignoring the telephone. The journal cover shows that Inconvenience Yourself™ concepts can be implemented by kids.

The Inconvenience Yourself™ journal with the winning cover is scheduled to be released in late February.

Journal cover contest winner, Takia Bryant,
is presented prize and certificate.

Contest winner Takia Bryant holding the winning journal cover.

Copier Technician Assists Small Business Owner on His Own Time

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:34:51 +0000

The proper operation of my industrial-sized copier/scanner/printer/fax is critical to my small business operations. Recently, I crashed my computer which in turn affected my ability to print and scan. When restoring the computer, I also had to restore printer and scanner drivers. Fortunately, I have a very helpful technician. I called him late in the day for assistance. He understands the importance of this equipment to my business and was happy to help. He gave me some instructions over the phone and then followed up that evening, from his home! With his help, I was able to get the equipment back up and running. It was beyond his job requirements, and my maintenance contract, for him to go the extra mile and help me on his own time – and a Friday evening.
Editor’s Note: He is another great example of Inconvenience Yourself™ concepts.

Anonymous
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

A Pleasant Surprise

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:34:15 +0000

South Florida is a tough place to find good service. Finding someone that exceeds your expectations is so rare. I have had a flurry of home improvement activity going on at my house. As I departed for work today, I left Chris, my painter, pressure cleaning my house in preparation for a fresh coat of paint. When I pulled in the driveway this evening, I was busy looking at the formerly mildewed side of the garage and noticed the stains had been removed. But something else looked different. I couldn’t place it at first, then, I looked down. My entire semicircular driveway had been pressure washed to a white that I had not seen in a long time. I did not ask Chris to do this. I had not even mentioned it or complained about it in front of him. He just had the pressure washer there, saw it needed to be done, and did it. He already had my business, and had done a fantastic job on another house that I own, but he still took the time to impress me. He inconvenienced himself just because. What a pleasant surprise! If you need a good painter in Broward County, FL email me mmex99@yahoo.com and I will give you his number.

Dawn
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Persistence Gets Results After 18 Years

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:22:34 +0000

In the spring of 1989 I found a small college class ring from Florida State University outside of a local credit union. The security guard inside was reluctant to take the ring since it wasn’t found on their property. I took it home with me and was determined to find the owner. Upon close examination I could see a name etched on the inside of the ring, but could not quite make out the last name. At my next visit to the credit union I inquired about any assistance they might be able to provide about customers with matching names. They were unwilling to help in my quest to return the ring. I continued to think of ways to track down the owner of the ring. As the years went by I thought about the ring less and less until I forgot about it altogether.

I recently ran across the class ring and was reminded of my unfinished quest. I was hopeful that changes in technology over the last 18 years would let me complete my task. Before trying to research the owner on the internet, I took the ring to my jeweler and told him the story. He was able to magnify and read the name and also discovered a social security number. Using her full name, I first tried the internet to locate the owner. There were some leads, but nothing that pointed to the right person with certainty. Eventually I checked the website of Florida State University and found a number for the Alumni Department. I called and relayed the story of the ring. Within minutes they were able to identify the owner and her location. They agreed to try to reach her and provide my contact information for her to get in touch with me.

I received a call from Sally, the ring’s owner, that afternoon. She now lives in North Carolina and had remarried a second time which explained the difficulties in my search for her. I told her the story and concluded with a heartfelt apology for the years she was without her ring. She seemed stunned, to say the least. Her father had given this ring to her as a gift, so it meant even more to her than “just a class ring.” I returned to my jeweler with the ring, as he wanted to clean and polish it for her. I boxed up the lost treasure and shipped it the next day. Sally called me when she received it to express her sincere appreciation. The following day was her 40th birthday and she felt like she had received an extraordinary gift. I recently received a card from Sally. She hasn’t taken the ring off since she got it back. Editor’s Note: Not only did Joann show the spirit of Inconvenience Yourself™, but so did the jeweler and the person at the Alumni Department.

Joann
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Neighbor Shares Driveway During Blizzard

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:21:32 +0000

During a blizzard, Cleveland (Ohio) imposed a parking ban. I had no where close to park my car as my house had no garage or even a driveway. My neighbor moved his car into his garage (where he rarely parks) and offered his driveway space to me. This saved me having to trek several blocks in the snow to find another place to park.

Ann
Cleveland, OH

Small Business Sounding Board

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:20:58 +0000

As a small business owner, I often need to impose on family, friends and other entrepreneurs for feedback on ideas. The bookmarks have proved to be the perfect expression of my gratitude for several people who have gone out of their way to help me and contributed to my business success. The recipients of the bookmarks have been pleasantly surprised with the small token of appreciation for their help. Several have called me to let me know the sentiment made them smile.

Anonymous
Plantation, FL

Freeing Up A Handicapped Space

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:20:26 +0000

My sister and I had just been shopping at a local “big box” store. As we approached our car, someone parked a couple of spaces away finished unloading their cart into the trunk of their car. He then moved the empty cart out from behind his car – into the only nearby empty handicapped parking space. A few more steps and the cart could have been placed in the “cart return” area, leaving the handicapped space available. My sister walked over to the cart and moved it to the cart return area.

Anonymous
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Relief from the Heat

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:19:59 +0000

During the heat of the summer, my grandson had a baseball game and I went to watch and pick him up after the game. As the game ended, a woman who lived in the neighborhood, who did not have a child on the team, came out and provided popsicles to hot and sweaty kids. I reached into my purse and handed an Inconvenience Yourself™ bookmark to my grandson who then thanked the “popsicle lady” with the bookmark.

Anonymous
Lexington, KY