Pattern Recognition

Pattern Recognition, in addition to being one of my favorite novels of all time, is a valuable and oft neglected life skill.

Another way to explain this is with one definition of insanity, repeating the same action over and over while expecting different results.

My final example is a quote from Aerosmith who were paraphrasing Mark Twain: "If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

Recently one of our stores was broken into and some of our equipment was stolen.  Bummer, but it does happen.  Such is life.  We replaced the equipment, repaired the front doors (rock through the glass, reach in & unlock) and went on our merry little way.  Last night, it happened again.  Broken glass, reach in, unlock, wander out some time later with our equipment in their grubby paws.

We failed the pattern recognition test.  We proved to the thief that there were no real repercussions and no changes in our awareness.  Minimal effort yielding adequate results.  Ten minutes of work and the net result is probably five-hundred bucks of stolen equipment.  Not retail value of course, but sell it for quick cash money.  Our cost to replace will be close to three grand.

Now, the next test will be, will we learn from this second break in?  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me...Fool me a third time...ouch.