Resolving at New Years....

Back to my blog home page: http://travelingotr.blogspot.com

People are quite divided on the topic of setting resolutions for New Year's Eve. How about shifting the "I have to lose 30 pounds this year" at New Year's Eve to

"I'm going to track my progress

toward living life as fully as possible

right now."

Think of it like you're writing a Plan of Care for your patients, only you're writing your Plan of Care for your life.

It's time!

Set a goal!

Worried that you're not going to reach it already? Set more than one! I set goals for health, family, financial, travel, spiritual and professional every year. At the end of the year, if I have reached half of them, I'm pretty happy!

Part of my list this year: become a better kayaker, gut and renovate a small cottage near my parents, plant a huge garden, walk El Camino de Santiago in Spain, finish writing a CEU course on rehab in long term care, and meditate more. Oh, and take a little more time off between assignments....

Write it down.

I've heard promotional speakers say that 5% of the population sets goals every year and only 3% write them down. That's like signing a contract. It ties you more closely to what you want. I can tell you that during years that I have written goals down, I have made them happen far better than years when I have not.

Make it happen.

Do it! Keep your eye on your prize. We attract that which on which we put our focus. Really. Try it. It's that simple.

Review the list regularly.

Each month, I pull the list off the fridge. Sometimes, I have checked off when I have accomplished a goal. Sometimes I don't. The important thing is that I turn my vision to what I want to accomplish. My brain starts ticking about the steps needed to reach the goals.

It's not work!  It's fun. It's life.

Don't beat yourself up if you don't reach certain goals. It's counter-productive. In fact, think of it like this (in the words of my favorite poet, Kahlil Gibran)

The significance of a man

is not in what he attains

but in what he longs to attain.

The Gift of Your Presence

Back to my blog home page: http://travelingotr.blogspot.com

I had the pleasure of returning to wine country last weekend to visit several sets of friends that I made during my last assignment. Some of the visits were planned, and others spontaneous.

It really spoke to my spirit as I drove past my old place, along my daily walk to work, and then, to the facility in which I greatly enjoyed working!

I planned to catch Monty and Joan just before dinner. When I walked in and greeted my old rehab director, he told me that "Mont" was out of town. My disappointment could not be masked!

BJ walked throughout the facility with me, pointing out changes in the three months since I have been gone. We walked down one hall, and I knew there was a room in which I would need to poke my head.

"Brendon!" I called out.

"Tre?...Tre!!"  The only part of him that could turn was his head. He is quadriplegic, shot in the spine half his life ago as he walked home from middle school on the streets of a large city in northern California.

Brendon and I spent a lot of time together. We identified his desire to get his GED. We figured out that he could use Dragon software to run a computer with his voice. I nominated him for a special trip to visit with his mom through Granted Wish Foundation (though they did not grant the wish, it gave us hope for a while!)
We practiced driving his sip and puff wheelchair, a motor wheelchair that is run by using breathwork. Sipping and puffing command the chair to drive forward, backward, turn, tilt and recline. You do it all with the straw, see?

Sip and Puff Motor Chair

We only spent a few minutes together, but I had to let him know that I think of him often, and I wish the best for him.

I turned to go, and I glanced over at his closet door. Taped on the door was an 8 x 10 photo of the two of us that we had taken when I nominated him for Granted Wish. (He hadn't known at the time we took the photo!) Under the photo, I had written,

You are never given a wish

without also being given the power

to make it come true.

Richard Bach, Illusions

"Brendan, you still have our photo!" I was so surprised!

"Of course, Tre, I will never forget you."

I turned to him.  "And I, you, my friend."

With that, we parted. I left his room feeling that I had just received a beautiful gift. What I hadn't realized until I saw our photo is that I had been a gift to him as well.

It brought tears to my eyes.

My message today is this: 

we never know how we impact people

with whom we may spend

a minute,

an hour,

a day,

a month,

a year.

The challenge

is to leave each and every person

feeling as if they have received a gift.

Introducing....My Recruiter

Back to my blog home page: http://travelingotr.blogspot.com

So....here's the good guy who made the last year possible for me.

Tony Leber from Med Travelers

Tony has been a recruiter with Med Travelers for two years. Before Med Travelers, he recruited travel nurses for InteliStaf Travel (Medical Staffing Network) for 2 years.  Prior to MSN, he started his career at Martin Fletcher working as a recruiter for permanent placement RN’s.

Here's what sets Tony apart.  He called me on a fluke when I was working an assignment in the Midwest, and he stayed in touch. He never bugged me so much that I avoided his calls. (Once you travel, you start receiving weekly calls from numerous recruiters, some of whose calls you consciously let go into voice mail.)

Once Tony started looking, he found a perfect assignment. An assignment that was not listed. He called companies until he found a location within less than 30 minutes from where I wanted to stay.

He has checked in with me during the assignment. He answers phone calls nearly immediately. I haven't had to call him often, but I know if I need anything, he would be there for me 100%.

Tony has taken great care of me, and I appreciate his professionalism!!

Because I am more than willing to share a good thing....if you're looking for a great recruiter to help you through the process, give Tony a call!