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Cybersalt News

Oh look, Chicken Thursday!

For self-encouragement, I think it is important to seek out quick little victories from time to time, especially when other things you are forced to do become more complicated than they should be.

Case in point: A client, who usually pays by cheque in the mail, was more than a month overdue paying their most recent invoice so I charged them a late fee of 2 percent. They contacted me and asked if they could pay what they owed by credit card and I accommodated their request. I then realized that the credit card company was going to take a fee higher than the late fee I charged so in the end I was going to end up being paid less. I figured, "Oh well, that's the cost of being in business."

But then I heard back from the client that when they tried to pay the invoice by credit card the online form would not allow them to enter the full amount they owed. So I took some time to duplicate the issue on my end and then I called the credit card processor to try and get the situation fixed. I explained everything to a support person who then put me on hold to try and solve my problem. Twenty minutes later I was disconnected. I phoned back and explained my problem to someone else. They were a really good listener - so good, in fact, that at one point I had to ask, "Are you still there?" They were - until 5 minutes later when I was disconnected.

So I called back, a third time, and explained, a third time, what was going on. That person put me on hold to look into the problem. I was on hold for over 60 minutes. The hold music was the same song over and over and over and it wore me down almost to the point where I was about to give up the secret location of the troops when number 3 returned. He told me he was going to have to pass me to a different technical department - and did.

The guy in the next department answered and asked me what was going on and how could he help. Yup, I had to tell my whole story for a 4th time. Three hours after I had begun my quest for a solution, he explained that their payment form was best described as "finicky" and suggested a workaround.

Which brings me back to seeking out little victories in life. Since that little result took a 3 hour time investment to produce, I decided it was time to do something little that would bring some greater satisfaction. I went straight to unplugging some very slow flowing plumbing in the basement of our house. It was messy, gooey, and super stinky, but after 20 minutes I had won! I even broke one of my wrenches in the process, which I also consider a win because I can go shopping for a new one - score!

When some tasks have fought/are fighting you all the way, look around for one you can beat easily. Sometimes the biggest win you can get is only a small one.

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing.

~ Pastor Tim

Martin was a slow worker and found it difficult to hold down a job. After a visit to the job centre he was offered work at the local zoo.

When he arrived for his first day, the keeper aware of his reputation told him to take care of the tortoise section.

Later, the keeper dropped by to see how Martin was getting on and found him standing by an empty enclosure.

"Where are the tortoises?" he asked him.

"I can't believe it" said Martin. "I just opened the door and then.....Whooooosh!"

She has the personality of a dial tone.

"Be a Billionaire!"

and Help

Refugees and

Persecuted Christians

Microchips: what's left at the bottom of the bag when it reaches you.

"He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions."

- Confucius

Once a spider built a beautiful web in an old house. He kept it clean and shiny so that flies would patronize it. The minute he got a "customer" he would clean up on him so the other flies would not get suspicious. Then one day this fairly intelligent fly came buzzing by the clean spider web.

Old man spider called out, "Come in and sit."

But the fairly intelligent fly said, "No, sir. I don't see other flies in your house, and I am not going in alone!"

But presently he saw on the floor below a large crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of brown paper. He was delighted! He was not afraid if lots of flies were doing it. So he came in for a landing.

Just before he landed, a bee zoomed by, saying, "Don't land there, stupid! That's flypaper!"

But the fairly intelligent fly shouted back, "Don't be silly. Those flies are dancing. There's a big crowd there. Everybody's doing it. That many flies can't be wrong!"

Well, you know what happened. He was stuck on the spot and eventually died right where he landed. Some of us want to be with the crowd so badly that we end up in a mess.

What does it profit a fly (or a person) if he escapes the web only to end up in the glue?

- Charles Swindoll, "Living Above the Level of Mediocrity"

Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.