There are times when we’re just spinning our wheels. Like vehicles in that situation, we get nowhere, but use up energy, and sometimes question how/why we put ourselves in those situations.

Often, we don’t actually put ourselves in those positions. There are times when we’re victims of scams, ineptness of others, lowering of expectations by people we deal with in business, money transactions, quality of products/work, even new technology.

I’ve dealt with businesses, paid them via their credit plan, maybe given cash as a down payment percentage part of credit agreements, been told said agreements billed no interest if paid off within 12 months, only to see interest billed after one month. I’ve also had to make numerous trips/phone calls to that business because someone’s been inaccurate in figuring my balance, forgotten to post payment or has credited my payment to someone else’s account.

There’s times when you can tell, at a business, someone’s new at the job, and still learning. I understand there’s growing pain in those situations, but when dealing with large purchases, involving substantial totals, you can’t make mistakes with customers’ money. If new employees are working in those situations, more experienced employees should be overseeing him/her, checking what they’re doing for the customer, until the supervisor’s certain the new person can solo.

Also, in businesses today, customers wait for service while employees are phone talking/texting, and times employees show-off multi-tasking talents, balancing phones between ear and shoulder talking while tending to transactions, causing mistakes in some transactions, necessitating double checking receipts before leaving any business. I’ve encountered employees eating while checking on my erred billing statement. When I taught, I often lunched in my classroom, still do while subbing, but not when students are present. When working in other places, if I got lunch/dinner breaks, I ate in the “Break Room.”

Maybe it’s just me, but if you’re talking/texting, or concentrating on food, you might not be giving the customer’s question, problem, or mistaken billing, the attention it deserves. (Maybe that caused the mistake in the first place.)

Everyone makes mistakes. I have. No one tries to, but by eliminating distractions and giving maximum attention to what we’re supposed to be doing job-wise, it may keep people from having to backtrack, re-visit, re-call, and feel like they’re spinning their wheels so much. I’ve visited one local business at least six times regarding one purchase, literally spinning my automobile, and personal, wheels more than necessary, due to continued errors with my purchases or accounts. That’s made me cross that business off my list.

There are other things that frustrate us, causing our wheels to spin and not get anywhere, thus making us to have to do more than originally intended. Maybe it’s going to look for something, then remembering you loaned it out and it wasn’t returned, and you needed it right then. I don’t mind loaning, but it’s like spinning your wheels when you need it and it’s not there because it was never returned.

Maybe it’s irritating phone calls, especially ones coming from whoever hacked into using local numbers that show up on our caller IDs.

More frustration occurs when you go by the book, dotting “I”s, crossing “T”s, fulfilling necessary requirements, then seeing someone pass by you who hasn’t completed necessary requirements, and didn’t do their due diligence preparing themselves for job, opportunities, or benefits you were working toward.

There are times you do things for someone, yet receive no wave, cap tip, headlight flash, or audio “thank you.” I like doing things for people, wanting no tangible payment, but saying “thanks,” verbally, or via signal or smile, costs nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful my wheels still spin and grateful I’m still around to feel anything, even frustration. I appreciate still being here, able to do whatever needs to be done regarding shopping, or making transactions. There are times, though, when personal, health, financial things, unexpected repairs, etc., aka spinning wheels, drain me mentally and physically.

Maybe more attention to task, or that thanks, cap tip, etc., might relieve some of the heaviness weighing us down, possibly allowing us to be better able to handle the small stuff that adds to some of us feeling frustrated.

It may even slow down those spinning wheels a bit.