APATHY Look at figure 1-12. Do you see how apathy on your  part  can  present  a  very  discouraging  prospect  to your customer? There is little for a customer to do except hope when faced by someone who just does not want to be bothered. If you reflect apathy or unconcern when you respond to a customer’s needs with a shrug of  your  shoulders  or  convey  the  message,  “Who cares?”   “What’s   your   hurry?”   or   “What’s   the difference?” by your attitude, we guarantee you will provoke  a  negative  reaction  on  the  part  of  your customer. You must keep in mind that, no matter how simple or unimportant you consider a request, the customer depends  on  you  to  provide  a  service.  There  is  no provision  for  customers  to  provide  their  own  services, even if they were able to, and there is no place else for them to go for the service. Sure, it requires a little effort on  your  part  to  answer  a  question  or  look  up  a reference, but that extra effort or interest is a mark of good service. Apathy is the result of a very negative attitude you have formed toward life in general or toward your job or duty assignment. Apathy is difficult to overcome because an apathetic person has already given up. A person may become apathetic because of the following reasons: Sees no purpose to the job Has been doing the same job too long l l l Sees  no  possibility  for  advancement  or  in- creased   responsibility Is  not  challenged  by  responsibility Has decided against a Navy career and is just waiting for his or her enlistment to end by not being  a  productive  member Such a person is coasting down a dangerous path. Anyone who is in this position and does nothing to correct it is shortchanging himself or herself as well as the customer and the Navy. As a PN, you cannot afford to allow apathy to take hold of your life and your job. You can fight and conquer apathy. Do your job as a PN and do it well! Most jobs, in or out of the Navy, involve many hours of routine work for each challenging, interesting period  of  work  that  occurs.  Quite  often,  when  we become dissatisfied with the job we have and long for another  more  interesting  one,  it  is  because  we  are looking only at the routine aspects of our jobs. The best defense against boredom in a routine job is to develop a  challenge  within  ourselves.  If  the  job  does  not challenge you, then you set the challenge. Set realistic and  attainable  goals.  Set  goals  that  are  worthwhile— and  meet  them. Even  if  your  job  is  nothing  more  than  filing correspondence  in  service  records  or  typing  page  4 entries, you can be the best at what you do in the office-until  you  can  prepare  yourself  for  and  be Figure 1-12.—Apathy is a deadly sin. 1-21