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I Set Myself Free by Becoming a CLNC®by Judia Sarich, RN, BSN, CLNC   Twenty-six months ago I was a burned-out nurse administrator. After working 80+ hours a week for more than five years, I had reached a point of severe sleep deprivation and I was facing potentially serious physical and emotional health issues. I needed to take action. After seeing Vickie Milazzo Institute in every nursing journal, I did.
Becoming a CLNC® was not an overnight decision. I prayed for guidance and God sent the answer, but I wanted to make sure. I spent a year checking it out. I laugh about that now because I later learned that Vickie's CLNC® Certification Program wasn't costly at all. Most other new businesses far exceed the start-up cost of becoming a CLNC®, and other businesses don't include the quality training or the ongoing support by CLNC® Mentors. Fourteen months ago I became a CLNC®. I love what I do now. More important, I am confident my company's current success is built on a solid foundation and is positioned for dramatic future growth. Why? Because I'm using the building tools Vickie gave me. I often hear Vickie and her CLNC® Mentors say, "Write down a detailed vision of your business. Take one action step for your business every day. Use the free support of your CLNC® Mentors. Be creative. Make a commitment to your business." These golden mantras are the cornerstones of my success. I Carved a Detailed Vision of My CLNC® Future When I came home from the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar, I was filled with excitement and determination, but I was at risk of losing all momentum that first week. I had a bad upper respiratory infection. I was so miserable I could have chosen to stay in bed heavily medicated. Instead, the first thing I did – in between coughing, sneezing and wheezing – was take Vickie's advice: "Write the vision of your company." Vickie's voice was in my head. I wrote, took my antibiotics, used my inhaler, slept, woke up and wrote some more. Despite feeling awful, I built my future CLNC® success, gaining a clear focus on what it would look like. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in The Little Prince, "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." This exercise allowed me to see where I was going. Patterning Michelangelo, I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. The only difference was that, in writing the vision of my company, I set myself free. Starting Small, I Found Myself Accomplishing Big The next cornerstone, "Take one action step for your business every day," became the most important building block of all. This mantra, lodged in my head during the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar, has carried me through periods when I felt down and worried and through periods when my business was thriving so well I thought I could skip a day. I'm sure Vickie would agree with Zen master Takuan: "This day will not come again. Each minute is worth a priceless gem." I don't care how big or how small the task is, I take action on my business every day. Some days I talk about my business to someone new, make one new contact call or brainstorm a new marketing strategy. Other days I send a thank you note or reorganize my office for efficiency. The power of taking action for your business every day is immense. Many days I didn't feel like doing anything, but I went into the office to do that one thing and by the end of the day I was amazed at how much I had accomplished. The payoffs have been great. All those single action steps are the pebbles that have built my business. Free CLNC® Mentoring and NACLNC® Online Resources Are My Built-In Support System Another building block Vickie offers is "the Institute's free support – the CLNC® Mentors, NACLNC® network and the online tools in the NACLNC® Community." Not a week goes by that I do not refer to one of the many materials in my VIP CLNC® Success System. I have used each of these great resources, and each one has played a part in my company's success. The Institute's CLNC® Mentors are supportive, knowledgeable and helpful in every situation. As a new CLNC® making that first client call or setting that first appointment, I found talking to a seasoned CLNC® invaluable. But these are the obvious times I needed them. Many times the CLNC® Mentors have surpassed my expectations with great responses to unusual questions. Our NACLNC® Directory of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (CLNC®s) is another indispensable resource. I have had the opportunity to present several fellow CLNC®s as testifying expert candidates. I have made a commitment to use only CLNC®s as nurse testifying experts. I Created New Opportunities Another building block from Vickie that led to surprising success is "Be creative." After writing down my vision for my company, I created my business plan and marketing plan. During a marketing brainstorming session I discovered an opportunity to launch a creative marketing strategy to a specific vendor. This ultimately led to attorney-client referrals and even bigger marketing opportunities as the vendor promotes my website and sends more referrals my way. This success reminds me of a quote Vickie paraphrases from Yoda in Star Wars: "There is no try – there is only do or not do." I Now Have the Energy, Time and Ability to Help Others The final building block is one of the strongest cornerstones of my business. Vickie and more than one of the faculty members at the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar said, "Be committed to your business." To me this also means be committed to God and give something back to others. This mantra touched me deeply. I became a nurse because I wanted to make a difference, and I felt I had lost this ability. Now as a CLNC®, I have the energy, time and ability to help others. I am more available to my family, my neighbors, my church and my community. I have time to participate in a volunteer organization that helps a local home for the mentally challenged. How different my life is today. I'm busy and my days are full, but balanced, not chaotic. I am in charge of my life and my business. My work environment is healthy. There's no traffic to fight, no unproductive meetings to attend. I love my home office work space and using technology to reach out to clients across the nation. I have attorney-clients in California, Utah, Wyoming and my home state, Texas. I have found balance and fulfillment in my life again. Thanks to Vickie Milazzo, the visionary pioneer whose fearless leadership and willingness to share have made such an impact on me and thousands of other nurses, I am a successful Certified Legal Nurse ConsultantCM. I'm proud to be a CLNC®. As Vickie says, "We are nurses and we can do anything!®" Judia Sarich, RN, BSN, CLNC is the owner of RN Network Review Inc. in Texas. She provides CLNC® services nationwide for attorneys, insurance companies and corporate clients. Her diverse clinical background includes adult and pediatric ICU as well as nursing management and administration.  Tell a Friend About This Site   |
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