By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
Craving dessert is a habit my wife, “The Queen of Desserts,” cultivated in me. She claims, however, my affection for sweets was ingrained in me before we met.
When eating at home, I pace myself through the meal in expectation of a tasty treat at the end. At restaurants, oversize proportions and my training to clean my plate leaves no room for my preferred conclusion to a meal. So I decline the dessert menu.
I’ve often joked that someday I’ll order dessert first. After all, if the world were to end halfway through my meal, I wouldn’t want to die with a stomach full of salad but void of dessert.
But events require a proper order.
You can’t receive a prize before you win the race. You can’t win the race before you run. And you can’t run before you start. Plus, if you’re wise, you won’t start before you practice.
This applies to most things in life. We want the easy way, but satisfaction takes time. We desire the reward but often want to skip the requisite work.
While I like dessert, I know a diet of only sweets is unhealthy, unwise, and unsustainable. So I’m willing to eat my vegetables first.
Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s Healthcare Call Center Essentials, available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
