Woodbury Bulletin - 12/17/2008
Recently, a lady from the church I attend gave me an early Christmas present at our book club gathering.
Cindy, an art teacher, is very creative. She made every woman in the group a bookmark with unique designs and different colors in the shape of a cross.
While I marveled at this beautiful handmade glass bookmark and at her creativity, I was also touched by her thoughtfulness and by this very special present, created specifically for each one of us.
What a great idea and a special present, I thought.
I like the idea of giving gifts from the heart and I like presents that are handmade.
Likewise, I know there are people who think it is cheap to give presents that are not store bought but handmade. They put a value on the present based on the price tag.
I know people who complain about presents they receive that are handmade. Because handmade presents usually don’t cost much in monetary value and don’t have a price tag, some people think they are not worth much, therefore they are not valuable.
For me, it is not the price of the present, it is the thought that counts.
For people who share the same value with me, here are some gift ideas that can be handmade and special.
If you like to write, you can write a letter or a poem to someone. Instead of sending a Christmas card with just a signature, write something personal. Share your thoughts and memories about the person. Elderly people will specially enjoy this kind of presents.
If you like to knit, you can make hats, scarves, mittens, socks or sweaters for people.
If you like to sew, you can make reusable fabric gift bags. Make them in the shape and approximate size of pillowcases out of fabrics, and use any leftover fabrics to make small bags.
You can reuse these bags every year for giving presents to your immediate family members. This will eliminate all wrapping paper, bows, tags, boxes, etc. year after year.
Other people will also appreciate receiving reusable fabric gift bags as presents.
If you like to do quilt, make a quilt for someone. It does not have to be so elaborated like the ones you see at the state fair, you can make a small and simple quilt.
Another lady with the name Sandy in the church once made an outfit for my daughter’s doll and also gave her a small quilt and tiny pillow for her doll. They were special gifts for us.
If you like to take pictures, you can make blank cards or a calendar using the photos you took yourself.
If you are good at working with digital photos, you can create a photo collage or a movie for people using their old and new photos. As it is often said, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” this is a great way to show someone’s life in pictures.
If you like to do scrap booking, make a photo album for a family member.
If you’re an artist and like to draw, make a picture or a portrait for someone.
If you like gardening and planting, give people plants that you have cut and grown from your own plants.
If you like to bake, bake come cookies, a cake or bread for someone.
If you like to cook, prepare a meal for a friend.
If you are a handy man, you can give someone a gift certificate for future repair and service in the area you are good at.
Everyone has a gift, a God given talent. We are all creative in our own ways. We don’t have to be artists to be creative.
If you really can’t think of anything creative or don’t know what you can create, how about creating coupons that offer free babysitting for a young family, or housework, yard work, cooking or snow shoveling for an elderly person or a get-together with a lonely person?
I wish to live in a culture in which we value handmade items, where we don’t judge people’s heart by how much they spend on us and where we do not feel embarrassed to give gifts that do not have a price tag
I want to be in an environment where we can cultivate more creativity and eliminate more spending and wasting, where we are encouraged to give what we have in us, not what we buy in stores.
I hope we can get back to the true meaning of Christmas and get away from the materialistic view of today's world.
Gifts, which do not come with price tags, can be priceless and more precious.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Advice for small business owners
Woodbury Bulletin - 12/10/2008
The current economic crisis hits hard for every business, big and small, from multinational corporations such as Citigroup to local small and home businesses.
I think it is especially difficult for small businesses that provide products and services in an increasingly competitive environment that we face today.
I am not a business owner, but I have experience dealing with small businesses. I would like to offer a few examples of common sense advice for small business owners based on my own observations.
Honesty is the best policy
Being honest in dealing with customers is the single most important thing to do as a business owner.
Trust is built on honest relationships. Do not, in your desire to make some extra money, cheat someone. Doing so will only cost you more in the long run.
Some years ago in Madison, Wis., I brought my car to a repair shop to get something fixed. The owner charged me more than he should. Maybe he thought I was a female, a minority and didn’t know anything, so he could rip me off.
When I found out that he overcharged me, I went back and confronted the owner. He gave me $40 back and said angrily, “Don’t come back again.”
I was not a fool. I wouldn’t go back even if he begged me.
Something similar also happened to me here in Woodbury. I brought my car for an oil change. The mechanic put some liquid in my car and charged me almost $20 for it.
Later when I confronted the manager, she said it was not necessary and refunded me the money.
Then through a friend’s referral, I found a small repair shop in St. Paul. The owner is very honest. He charges less than others.
If he thinks something does not need to be fixed, he tells the truth. He doesn’t try to make money by doing unnecessary repairs.
Even though he is farther away than the repair shops in town and because I trust him more than anyone, I would rather go to St. Paul for car repairs.
Let quality speak for itself
You can say as much as you want about how good your products and services are, but it is far better and effective to let your products and services speak for themselves.
I see quite a lot of advertisement and media publicity about a local auto shop.
But how can they expect me to believe and trust them when something like this happened: They claimed to have rotated my tires, but they didn’t do it.
Regardless of why it happened, I had to question their quality of work.
Even just one simple mistake can seriously damage your reputation. So make your quality count.
Keep your customers’ interests in mind
It is understandable that as average human beings we have our own best interest in mind.
But as business owners, you also have to keep your customers’ interests in mind. You cannot serve your own interest while sacrificing your customers’ interests.
If you can serve your customers above their expectations, they will be happy and come back. So always keep your customers’ best interests in mind as well as your own.
Think long term
Yes, you can make some quick money by cheating someone for some time, but you won’t be able to cheat everyone all the times.
Sooner or later, people will find out.
So, if you plan to stay in your business for a long time, you have to think long term and make wise choices.
Don’t just think about your profit today, but think about tomorrow and the future too. Only then can you grow and prosper.
Show respect and gratitude
In our competitive world and environment, there are many businesses that provide same or similar kinds of products or services as you do.
People have a lot of choices. They can go to different places for their needs and wants.
Why would people come back to you? How do you make people come back to you and stay loyal to you?
One way to do that is to show respect and gratitude. Let your customers know that you value their business and appreciate their loyalty.
Word of mouth is the best advertisement
Businesses spend a lot of money on advertisements.
While advertisements in local media are useful to make your businesses known to the public, I believe the best and most effective advertisement is the word of mouth.
If your customers are happy with your products and services, they will naturally refer their friends to you.
Personal testimonies from people we know have more power than anything we read in print.
And best yet, it’s free. It doesn’t cost you anything.
Give back to the community
As a business, you depend on the local community to survive. And your local community also depends on local businesses to thrive.
If there are any local programs you are interested in, support them in ways you can. Help their fundraising efforts.
By giving back to the local community that makes your business survival possible, you will be rewarded with more and loyal customers.
If you can put these common sense advices into practice, I think your business will do better than many others and also do well in the long run.
The current economic crisis hits hard for every business, big and small, from multinational corporations such as Citigroup to local small and home businesses.
I think it is especially difficult for small businesses that provide products and services in an increasingly competitive environment that we face today.
I am not a business owner, but I have experience dealing with small businesses. I would like to offer a few examples of common sense advice for small business owners based on my own observations.
Honesty is the best policy
Being honest in dealing with customers is the single most important thing to do as a business owner.
Trust is built on honest relationships. Do not, in your desire to make some extra money, cheat someone. Doing so will only cost you more in the long run.
Some years ago in Madison, Wis., I brought my car to a repair shop to get something fixed. The owner charged me more than he should. Maybe he thought I was a female, a minority and didn’t know anything, so he could rip me off.
When I found out that he overcharged me, I went back and confronted the owner. He gave me $40 back and said angrily, “Don’t come back again.”
I was not a fool. I wouldn’t go back even if he begged me.
Something similar also happened to me here in Woodbury. I brought my car for an oil change. The mechanic put some liquid in my car and charged me almost $20 for it.
Later when I confronted the manager, she said it was not necessary and refunded me the money.
Then through a friend’s referral, I found a small repair shop in St. Paul. The owner is very honest. He charges less than others.
If he thinks something does not need to be fixed, he tells the truth. He doesn’t try to make money by doing unnecessary repairs.
Even though he is farther away than the repair shops in town and because I trust him more than anyone, I would rather go to St. Paul for car repairs.
Let quality speak for itself
You can say as much as you want about how good your products and services are, but it is far better and effective to let your products and services speak for themselves.
I see quite a lot of advertisement and media publicity about a local auto shop.
But how can they expect me to believe and trust them when something like this happened: They claimed to have rotated my tires, but they didn’t do it.
Regardless of why it happened, I had to question their quality of work.
Even just one simple mistake can seriously damage your reputation. So make your quality count.
Keep your customers’ interests in mind
It is understandable that as average human beings we have our own best interest in mind.
But as business owners, you also have to keep your customers’ interests in mind. You cannot serve your own interest while sacrificing your customers’ interests.
If you can serve your customers above their expectations, they will be happy and come back. So always keep your customers’ best interests in mind as well as your own.
Think long term
Yes, you can make some quick money by cheating someone for some time, but you won’t be able to cheat everyone all the times.
Sooner or later, people will find out.
So, if you plan to stay in your business for a long time, you have to think long term and make wise choices.
Don’t just think about your profit today, but think about tomorrow and the future too. Only then can you grow and prosper.
Show respect and gratitude
In our competitive world and environment, there are many businesses that provide same or similar kinds of products or services as you do.
People have a lot of choices. They can go to different places for their needs and wants.
Why would people come back to you? How do you make people come back to you and stay loyal to you?
One way to do that is to show respect and gratitude. Let your customers know that you value their business and appreciate their loyalty.
Word of mouth is the best advertisement
Businesses spend a lot of money on advertisements.
While advertisements in local media are useful to make your businesses known to the public, I believe the best and most effective advertisement is the word of mouth.
If your customers are happy with your products and services, they will naturally refer their friends to you.
Personal testimonies from people we know have more power than anything we read in print.
And best yet, it’s free. It doesn’t cost you anything.
Give back to the community
As a business, you depend on the local community to survive. And your local community also depends on local businesses to thrive.
If there are any local programs you are interested in, support them in ways you can. Help their fundraising efforts.
By giving back to the local community that makes your business survival possible, you will be rewarded with more and loyal customers.
If you can put these common sense advices into practice, I think your business will do better than many others and also do well in the long run.
Less perfect, more carefree
Woodbury Bulletin - 12/03/2008
During the holiday season, I find more and more articles with headings such as “Flawless Thanksgiving” or “Perfect Christmas” appearing in newspapers, magazines or on the Internet.
As someone who is not a perfectionist, my immediate reaction after reading such headings is, “It’s not for me.” I often skip reading those articles.
I would rather have a “stress-less” or “carefree” holiday than a “flawless” or “perfect” one.
I think if our goal is a “flawless” and “perfect” holiday, we can set ourselves up for more stress and some disappointments.
Yes, we can plan ahead and be creative. We can spend less, shop less, buy less, cook less, wrap less, waste less, do less and be stress-less. We can try our best to create “the most memorable” Thanksgiving or Christmas.
But to have it “flawless,” “perfect” or even “stress-free” is a sure way to more stress and some disappointment.
In my opinion, our perfectionist attitude can also create a barrier for people in deepening their relationships.
I remember a few years ago I was looking at an old photo of my parents eating a meal with some relatives in their small apartment. Instead of enjoying my parents’ smiling faces and looking at the wonderful food they had prepared for the relatives, my first thought was, “Look, how cluttered the place is! The cabinet in the background was full of stuff on top of each other. It is embarrassing to have guests there!”
Then it hit me. I shouldn’t have had such a thought. I knew nobody at the dinner table paid any attention to the clutter in the background.
In the old days, we didn’t have telephones. We often visited relatives and friends without notices in advance. A lot of things we did were spontaneous. If we felt like it, we simply walked to someone’s home for a visit.
It wasn’t in our conscious mind at that time that we couldn’t have visitors over because we were not prepared for having visitors, or because our home looked messy and cluttered, and therefore was not presentable or embarrassing.
Only after living in the U.S. for many years and have visiing many “flawless” and “perfect” looking homes did I become aware that my home is not as “flawless” and “perfect” as others are.
I don’t have my interior designed by a professional. I don’t have expensive sets of furniture. I don’t have fancy decorations. I don’t have matching curtains. I don’t have masterpiece paintings on the wall. I don’t use a white table cloth. I don’t use a centerpiece. I don’t have a perfectly clean kitchen because I cook every day.
Even though I personally don’t care about any of these things I don’t have and use, and I don’t care about how perfect or imperfect others’ houses are, my non-perfectionist attitude and my imperfect house do create a barrier more or less for me in terms of hospitality.
I am not a big party person, but I do enjoy talking with individuals and getting to know people. I enjoy sharing some conversations with people over a simple meal.
But when I go to parties, and see so much emphasis focused on the perfect setting, the perfect food, the perfect of everything, I feel inadequate when doing the same thing.
When we focus so much on appearances, we have to spend lots of time and energy on cleaning, decorating, shopping, preparing, cooking so we can have a perfect party or a perfect holiday.
Then more and more we shy away from doing parties, because it is too much work and becomes too overwhelming.
So, people get together less often and become less connected. There are fewer quality and deep relationships.
The more perfectionism I see in others, the more distant I feel.
I know I am not the only one who feels stressed by the perfectionist attitude in our society.
A friend whom I considered a perfectionist once told me she felt more relaxed when she visited other people’s homes that were less than perfect.
Perfectionism can certainly make our own lives and others’ harder and more stressful.
I would rather live my life in a less perfect and less stressful way than having things flawless and perfect with more stress and anxiety attached.
Like many things in life, we just can’t eat our cake and have it, too.
If we want to enjoy our holiday with less stress and craziness, then we should let loose or let go some of our perfectionism.
I wish you all a stress-less holiday season!
During the holiday season, I find more and more articles with headings such as “Flawless Thanksgiving” or “Perfect Christmas” appearing in newspapers, magazines or on the Internet.
As someone who is not a perfectionist, my immediate reaction after reading such headings is, “It’s not for me.” I often skip reading those articles.
I would rather have a “stress-less” or “carefree” holiday than a “flawless” or “perfect” one.
I think if our goal is a “flawless” and “perfect” holiday, we can set ourselves up for more stress and some disappointments.
Yes, we can plan ahead and be creative. We can spend less, shop less, buy less, cook less, wrap less, waste less, do less and be stress-less. We can try our best to create “the most memorable” Thanksgiving or Christmas.
But to have it “flawless,” “perfect” or even “stress-free” is a sure way to more stress and some disappointment.
In my opinion, our perfectionist attitude can also create a barrier for people in deepening their relationships.
I remember a few years ago I was looking at an old photo of my parents eating a meal with some relatives in their small apartment. Instead of enjoying my parents’ smiling faces and looking at the wonderful food they had prepared for the relatives, my first thought was, “Look, how cluttered the place is! The cabinet in the background was full of stuff on top of each other. It is embarrassing to have guests there!”
Then it hit me. I shouldn’t have had such a thought. I knew nobody at the dinner table paid any attention to the clutter in the background.
In the old days, we didn’t have telephones. We often visited relatives and friends without notices in advance. A lot of things we did were spontaneous. If we felt like it, we simply walked to someone’s home for a visit.
It wasn’t in our conscious mind at that time that we couldn’t have visitors over because we were not prepared for having visitors, or because our home looked messy and cluttered, and therefore was not presentable or embarrassing.
Only after living in the U.S. for many years and have visiing many “flawless” and “perfect” looking homes did I become aware that my home is not as “flawless” and “perfect” as others are.
I don’t have my interior designed by a professional. I don’t have expensive sets of furniture. I don’t have fancy decorations. I don’t have matching curtains. I don’t have masterpiece paintings on the wall. I don’t use a white table cloth. I don’t use a centerpiece. I don’t have a perfectly clean kitchen because I cook every day.
Even though I personally don’t care about any of these things I don’t have and use, and I don’t care about how perfect or imperfect others’ houses are, my non-perfectionist attitude and my imperfect house do create a barrier more or less for me in terms of hospitality.
I am not a big party person, but I do enjoy talking with individuals and getting to know people. I enjoy sharing some conversations with people over a simple meal.
But when I go to parties, and see so much emphasis focused on the perfect setting, the perfect food, the perfect of everything, I feel inadequate when doing the same thing.
When we focus so much on appearances, we have to spend lots of time and energy on cleaning, decorating, shopping, preparing, cooking so we can have a perfect party or a perfect holiday.
Then more and more we shy away from doing parties, because it is too much work and becomes too overwhelming.
So, people get together less often and become less connected. There are fewer quality and deep relationships.
The more perfectionism I see in others, the more distant I feel.
I know I am not the only one who feels stressed by the perfectionist attitude in our society.
A friend whom I considered a perfectionist once told me she felt more relaxed when she visited other people’s homes that were less than perfect.
Perfectionism can certainly make our own lives and others’ harder and more stressful.
I would rather live my life in a less perfect and less stressful way than having things flawless and perfect with more stress and anxiety attached.
Like many things in life, we just can’t eat our cake and have it, too.
If we want to enjoy our holiday with less stress and craziness, then we should let loose or let go some of our perfectionism.
I wish you all a stress-less holiday season!
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