This week, I am on vacation – at a spa in Mexico.

I tell you that because I am a real believer in taking R & R.

It’s hard with fewer staff, doing more with less, and feeling the stress of the economy.

But, the reality is our bodies and minds can burn out.

With some time off, we can develop perspective, and insights that can ultimately be helpful at work and at home.

Treat yourself well – you only have one life.

Hasta la vista!

The eloquence, the poignancy, the cadence, and rhythm are still astounding to me this day.

He was a true motivator.

You may listen, and think, “That type of presentation won’t work in my environment.”

I challenge this mentality, and suggest all presenters need to ask, “Are there elements that I could use?”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used alliteration. In one sentence, he said, “Character, confidence and courage.” Isn’t this something that you, too, could say when speaking about leadership?

Ask yourself this question: “What else could I be saying to others, to be more inspiring on a daily basis?”

I find that by studying the great orators – be it classic (Aristotle) or modern (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), there are many lessons to be learned.

Perhaps on some level, we can all raise the bar.

Changing insurance vendors was high on my list. The experience these past few months has been amazing – and I don’t mean in a good way.

In order not to get sued for libel, I won’t mention how poor the service was when I called to get information from car insurance companies.

It would seem the concept of “customer service” is not in their vocabulary. In fact, I opted not to work with certain companies due to the long time on hold I experienced, negative attitudes and difficulty of connecting at all.

As a business owner, my experiences reinforced the importance of our own products and services (high end presentation and communication skills training/coaching) – and, also for the back end, from sales, customer service, accounts payable, etc.

I get frequent compliment from our clients for my staff. I hope that they also would be willing to give negative feedback as well – how else can we improve if we are unaware?

With that concept in mind, one company has been outstanding. It’s Geico.

My telephone sales representative has been Elizabeth Heflin. She was patient, knowledgeable, and on top of everything.

I must have spoken to her at least six times over a period of a week, to get all the information I needed. Not only was I able to save almost $1,000 (fabulous by any standard), I actually felt taken care of as a customer.

I also want to recognize Larry Oxenberg, my New York Life agent – for helping me countless times over the years. He actually looks for ways to save me money, and I appreciate that. He, too, deserves special recognition.

Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you Geico. Thank you Larry.

When working with an insurance company – or any company, for that matter -- can be a pleasurable experience, it is well worth writing about!

I hope my clients continue to feel the same.