So many times, in so many ways, I’ve realized that … [this is SO simple] … I need to pick up the telephone, and start asking questions.
I’ve learned to avoid “spinning my wheels,” wondering what to do, searching for documents, trying to do it myself. For example:
I had a series of Medical Procedures, and each one had to be authorized by my Insurance Company. After each visit to my Doctor’s office, I would diligently follow-up, as I was instructed to do, by calling my Doctor’s office, and asking, “has the authorization been approved?” After quite some time of doing this, the Doctor’s office suggested that I call my Insurance Company directly. You mean I can call them? Yes, of course! Sounds obvious, but it wasn’t … to me.
I got a Traffic Ticket, for “rolling through” a Stop sign in a residential area. But I had already stopped five feet before the sign. Don’t worry about the substance of this … but the point is that I agonized about it, wondering whether I should dispute it, not sure what my rights were … for example, do I really have to pay the Ticket in full, in order to dispute it. Months later, I realized, I should have just called a Los Angeles Attorney right away … and started asking all these questions. Even the Receptionist could have pointed me in the right direction!
Frequently, I find myself searching through files and drawers, in order to find the Form or Invoice that I know I have received, but just cannot seem to locate. From now on, I’m going to pick-up the phone right away, and ask the sender to send me the Form or Invoice, again. I’m going to forget about feeling silly, I’m just going to call and ask.
A few months ago, someone was banging on my door, claiming to be the gathering signatures on a Petition to build some sky-scraper building in Beverly Hills, but they just didn’t sound right. As soon as they left, I called a Criminal Defense Attorney I know, just because he always seems to have good answers … I know, it made no sense to call him, but I did. He suggested I call the Los Angeles Police Department, and ask if any organization had applied for a Permit to solicit signatures in my neighborhood, and I got the information I needed. But my point, is, that it is often best to pick up the phone, and ask questions, and get moving, rather than just wondering what’s going on.
Last year, I had a really bad Ceiling Water Leak in my apartment, and the Landlord had to basically remove my Bathroom Ceiling, in order to allow the support beams to dry out. The problem is that it really looked like the ancient Ceiling Insulation might be asbestos, and I wanted to know it that was something to worry about. My Landlord was not helpful. So I started calling Asbestos/Environmental Testing companies from a quick Google search, and they would have been prohibitively expensive. But then I called the Personal Injury Attorney I used after my car accident last year, and he referred me to an Landlord-Tenant-Environmental Attorney, and he suggested that I go ahead and get it tested, by hiring someone “right out of the Yellow Pages … So I broadened my telephone search, started calling more companies, and on one of my calls, the person I spoke to suggested I call the County Department that handles this, and wow … after a few calls, the County sent a testing team out to my apartment, and the best thing was …. It was totally FREE!
I find that writing becomes me and as I advance my skills, the profound and benevolent sense of satisfaction, increases ten-fold, when I learn of my audience gratification.