QUARANTINE LIFE: SUNDAY THOUGHTS

It’s great when people do what they say they will do! It’s a downright relief. 

It’s a breath of fresh air to do business with trustworthy people who adhere to 1 Timothy 5:18– “A workman is worthy of his hire”.

Smooth transactions are the best transactions. There’s no hemming, hawing, haggling, nor excuses for why you’re waiting indefinitely, with nail-bitten fingers crossed, for what should, or could have been immediate.

When you’ve held up your end, delivered, and operated in good faith, it’s awfully nice when others do the same.

Honor shouldn’t be elusive. Good faith can’t always be one-sided. That converts it to blind faith (or just plain stupidity). That gets old very quickly.

One party can’t always be left shortchanged, or chasing down that for which they worked. Creative professionals have often found themselves in that very predicament. It doesn’t take long to determine who’s always good for a handshake, and who absolutely isn’t.

Ever wonder why some people do nothing without written agreements? Ever notice that you can’t deal directly with everyone—no exceptions— no matter who you are? Have you ever wondered what makes people so litigious?

There’s a reason why the law, middlemen, and contracts exist. They keep all parties honest—even in the most mundane transactions. 

Being burned once, or repeatedly is no fun. Encounters with users, who are prone to bouts of amnesia, or fits of absentminded-ness, lead to NO faith or confidence at all that some people will ever do the right thing.

What would be laughable, if it wasn’t so pitiful, is a person’s anger, frustration, or offense because they’re expected to follow through with what they promised. It takes an enormous amount of audacity to assume the victim role when the funds are there, goods or services have been consumed, but negligence, slothfulness, or unwillingness creep in when it’s time to pay.

There’s a simple way to strengthen goodwill, maintain working relationships, and avoid being perceived as slick, shady, or a thief: 

1. Deal honestly, and operate with integrity. 

2. Don’t take advantage of the goodwill, patience, generosity, kindness, gifts, time, talent, resources, or work of others. 

3. Don’t be the person for whom others have to break out the proverbial “long-handled spoon”.

4. Don’t single-handedly amend agreements. 

5. Don’t practice playing fast and loose with the livelihoods and resources of others. If you truly want people to continue to work with you, practice being consistent, considerate, and trustworthy.

When trust sours; when the bad taste of seemingly deliberate misuse occurs, it’s hard to wash it away. A repeat offender who’s cultivated a reputation for stiffing others, can’t be bewildered when their subsequent invitations, propositions, requests, inquiries, or calls—no matter how lucrative or attractive they sound—are ignored.

Perhaps it’s not fair to think that some people should conduct business more impeccably—without error, doubt, or suspicion—than the average guy or gal. If anyone, however, should be above board and conscientious about doing right by others, it’s an individual who totes and quotes a Bible, or an organization that deems itself a ministry.

Whether great or small, leader or layperson, it is a poor reflection on an establishment when obligations aren’t handled in a reasonable, fair, or timely manner. Leaving people hanging, ghosting, manipulating, or gaslighting them, greatly informs whether a person or an entity can be taken seriously, or dealt with at all.

In business, being treated with respect and consideration shouldn’t be a shock. It should be the rule, not the exception. Poor business practices exhaust and discourage good, willing people. 

Poor business practices shouldn’t be the norm or expectation. 

Poor business practices shouldn’t be what people have grown accustomed to shrugging off. 

Poor business practices shouldn’t be tolerated, joked about, excused, overlooked, or understood. Sloppy, overdue, dishonest, and unacceptable shouldn’t be the M.O.; 

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” shouldn’t just be something people say. 

We all rely on resources to sustain ourselves, and meet our obligations. When people habitually fail to follow through, perhaps they’ve mislaid or mismanaged what is due to those with whom they’ve conducted business. That should be communicated. Maybe they’ve convinced themselves that others don’t need, want, or aren’t pressed to be compensated. It isn’t relevant, however, whether someone has “got it like that”. If they worked, they should be paid.