For several years I worked with a young lady who had a very interesting habit. At least once a day, she would throw her papers on her desk, hop up and shout, “Life sucks and then you die!” Needless to say, she always got the attention of the team that surrounded her, but never in a good way.
Now, decades later and I still remember exactly how she looked and what she said. Did she make an impression? Yes. Was it a good one? No! And, what could have been so earth shattering? She was doing routine paperwork.
And, reflecting back, life was sure a lot easier then than now. Every day there is something new that impacts our lives – so much so that it can seem out of control. During the past two years we have had more than our fair share of challenges in life and in the medical field.
We know and appreciate the fact that our ultimate goal – taking the best care of our patients – is a very important job. Sometimes we see things that are not pleasant, to say the least. Sometimes we take care of patients that are less than kind – shoot, some of them can be downright mean. Sometimes on-site nurses respond in inappropriate ways or try to tear us down. Sometimes the supervisor is a downer. And, never once, have we heard one of our elite team members express such a negative comment.
Yes, attitude is everything. But, we also realize that sometimes it is very, very difficult to motivate yourself to have a good attitude each and every day of the year.
We have shared many things with you on how to be upbeat – our daily habits, what we choose to think about and meditate on and many more. But, one of the things we haven’t done is share the importance of the people you surround yourself with.
If you are hanging out with Debbie Downers they will bring you down. Now, there are seasons in life when someone you know may need encouragement and lifting up. But, there are individuals who NEVER find the positive (remember – life sucks and then you die?). These are the people that you want to distance yourself from.
And, we know that this is not always entirely feasible as that person might be your mother or your spouse. But, you can choose to step back, not accept the negative comments, and find those other friends and family members that you can laugh, share, and have fun with. It is vital to keep your positive energy level up! It not only affects your outlook on life but it gives you that overall sense of well-being that we all need to have.
So, before another negative comment is heard, take an inventory of those family members and friends you can depend on to always be there with a kind comment, words of encouragement or a hug when it is needed. Those are the people you want to spend more time with. Start scheduling time for good vibes now.
