Monkey Bar Thoughts

If you read my July 10th ezine, you know I recently struggled with losing access to email. As an email coach, that's not good. As a person who's #1 core value is connection and relies heavily on her cyber connections, that's really not good!

I'll spare you details, but suffice it to say after three days of no access and several hours of unsuccessful technical support, I was at my wit's end. Seriously, at one point I was on the verge of tears. It's been a while since I felt so powerless and vulnerable. (A Comcast techie actually instructed me to delete everything off the computer and try starting over. Oh my word! I told her she sounded like she was on drugs and I'd better talk to her supervisor.)

The "verge of tears" feeling was what woke me up to how off track I was on this mission to restore my email. What did I think could happen while I was feeling so awful? Not much good. That's how this works. We get what we vibrate.

What would it take to restore my email connection? Feeling better.

So that's what I did.

I talked myself up the scale. This wasn't my first rodeo, so it didn't take long. But I found it did take MANY repetitions. I found that after a few brief flashes of peace and relief I easily slipped back into a string of swear words and incredible impatience.

But I kept at it. Because I know how this works. Wasn't I the one just telling a client that I was skilled at being able to reach any thought, no matter where I was coming from? I was like a monkey on the monkey bars, I said. Oh yeah, Jeannette? Prove it.

So I continued the self-soothing process. Picking up this thought, then that one, seeing which one helped me feel better. And when I got to a little bit better-feeling place, I took action.

After giving up on Comcast and Microsoft, I called Best Buy to enact their Geek Squad in home tech support service. Their agent was supposed to be here Monday 9:15 am. He was a no-show. Best Buy referred me to Geek Squad headquarters to track him down. They couldn't get him to answer calls or texts. Lovely.

They asked if I wanted to reschedule. You know, not really. I need someone here TODAY! This is my livelihood! This is not something that can wait. (Can you feel me? Hot hot hot!) I already cleared my morning for your stupid guy, and now that turns out to have been a complete waste of time!

That's what I was feeling. But I know what that vibe is going to get me. Someone as upset as I am.

So I hung up and waited to cool off until I called Best Buy back. "Julie, this is my livelihood. I'm starting to get nervous. I hope you can help me get this fixed today. What are our options?"

She said she didn't have many, because their system was down. They couldn't even open the doors to business because their computers were on the fritz. She couldn't track down her agents, and every in-store agent was on the phone with a customer.

So now I hear she's in a pickle. And a pretty impressive one. She doesn't need me making her day any worse.

She says she'll call Geek Squad headquarters. I said I've already talked with them several times with no luck. She says she'll get through because she knows how to yell. That made me laugh. Laughing is good.

She promises to call back when she has an answer.

And I milk that vibe in the meantime. Julie sounded like she really cared. She truly did want to help me. I remember how frustrating it is to be the employee who wants to help a customer, but you really can't. That she cared meant a LOT to me. That she promised me a call back meant a LOT. I used every bit of that to begin feeling better.

When I started thinking about my email clients who hadn't heard from me, I would think about the Best Buy customers who couldn't shop that day because the computers were down. Hey, it happens! It's not the end of the world. I could get on board with that.

It's okay. (Right Lorenzo?)

And Julie phoned. She phoned!! She said she if she couldn't get an in-store guy to help me out this afternoon, she'd call someone in on his day off. HEY!! Now that's making me feel better!! She's trying! She's getting creative!! She's really wanting to make me happy!

And that's all I needed to get to that feel better place really solidly. Even if she couldn't get anyone out, she was trying. I believed that. I could hear it in her voice.

And guess what? She called again. No in-store guys available, BUT she was calling in Agent Jones on his day off. Only problem is that he couldn't be there till six. She apologized for that. (And added I was the only one she was doing this for today.)

I was thrilled!

Send him over!

And Agent Jones - whew. Guess what he needed? Maybe 15 minutes on the computer and it was fixed. But he stayed another 15 to test every possible thing for me, showing me it all worked, all the weekend emails were recovered (at least it seems that way), agreeing with me that Comcast was high, and showing me cell phone pictures of his dog doing yoga in his sleep. I'm in love with Agent Jones. He was in normal clothes and normal car. I thought they were handsome BEFORE - in their uniform! Whew! Don't let Agent Jones in to solve your biggest problems when he's wearing normal clothes unless you have TREMENDOUS willpower to not flirt. I'm very much in love.

With him and Julie.

I can't decide whether I'm sending her manager an email raving about her or flowers directly to her door. Maybe both.

Agent Jones told me that the guy who was supposed to show that morning had taken a personal emergency day, but the message didn't get through because Best Buy's system was down. He said the guy is incredibly reliable, and they were worried they hadn't been able to reach him all day long. I instantly went from being pissed off that someone could be so flaky as to not even call to tell me he's not coming, to sending good thoughts that all was well in his world.

Cool shift, huh?

We get the energy lined up first. And then we take action. Man, it works great when we remember that.