There are certain professions in life that are, by their very nature, time consuming. A doctor, for example, has thousands of patients who oftentimes want to see him or her on a fairly regular basis. Because they are so busy, the days are long gone when a doctor would come to your home to see how you were doing. For the past few decades, you proceed to an office complex with an office manager and several receptionists and nurses. If your situation is serious enough, you get a face to face meeting for a couple of minutes with the actual MD.

The same is true in many other professions. A few years back, I had a legitimate need to sit down with the pastor of a very large church I attended. While not yet a mega-church (one with a weekly attendance pushing the 10,000 mark), this church did have a few thousand attend on a Sunday morning. Although I did finally get a few minutes of his time - just like getting two minutes of your doctor’s time - I had to go through several other pastors, receptionists, and an assortment of assistants only to meet with him for a short time at some obscure hour. And during my face-to-face meeting with him, it was very evident that he was meeting with me simply to appease an unruly member of the congregation who would not leave well enough alone.

And the list goes on for most of us. Most of us can name an attorney, professor, salesperson, business owner, government official, celebrity, or other grand pooh-pah who is just too important and busy to waste their time with little ‘ol “me.” And here is the caveat that must be inserted: Much of that is legitimate. If doctors saw every hypochondriac who needed to visit for two hours to be given an aspirin or the governor had to visit with every citizen who wanted to complain about state taxes, nothing would ever get done. The very thought is, of course, ridiculous. But as a society that is not where we are. We are on the other end of the pendulum.

There are cases which are an exception to the norm but generally speaking, we live in a time when it is difficult to see who we need to, even in the most dire of situations. It is reasonable to expect doctor’s offices to keep their scheduled times, attorneys to charge reasonable fees when the need is there, and government officials to see us when a matter is pressing (to name just a few). But we all know that reasonable is not a word everyone buys into. So… what does the average [caring] Joe do?

The answer is simple. Each of us must operate in circles where we best fit, where we are the most comfortable. Many are completely at home in a mega-church of 30,000 members/attendees and content to know only those in their immediate circle. And many are content to say they have doctor Jane Bigshot as their physician, even when they have never met her. And I truly believe there is nothing wrong with that when that is what is important to you. If, however, you are on the other end of the spectrum where you like to know and interact with those who have a direct impact on your life, it’s time to downsize. My current doctor knows me quite well and he has a few minutes to chat. And my pastor? Yep, he knows my name too. And for me personally, that’s how I like it. I enjoy the contact with those who directly impact me and my family.

The personal touch may not be something you need to function effectively and productively. But if it is… beware of the professional who is just so busy, busy, busy… and find a professional who actually has the time to listen to your concerns. It may affect your life more than you ever realized!