I went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson tribute “Immortal” this past weekend. The show not only awed and inspired me, it also made me think that no matter how talented we are there’s always someone who can astonish us – like the Cirque acrobats who do triple back flips swinging from rings 50 ft above your head.

Like Cirque du Soleil, I also aspire to go over the top and I always aim to entertain. I may never fly through the air with the greatest of ease, but every time I see the creativity of the Cirque du Soleil performers they inspire me to up my own game – in my legal nurse consulting business and in my life.

A Cirque performer won’t ever win a case for an attorney-client or make a difference in an injured person’s life; that’s where you fly as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Find something or someone to inspire you to transcend your best.

I look forward to seeing you at the top – just don’t expect me to arrive on a trapeze, net or no net.

Success Is Inside!

In Lewis Carroll’s book Through the Looking Glass (more commonly known as Alice in Wonderland) the White Queen and Alice have an exchange that goes:

“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.“

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

I’m a great believer in the impossible. That doesn’t always make me popular in my office but that’s not my issue. I believe that if you can think it – you can do it. What about you? Do you believe impossible things or do you keep yourself firmly grounded in the realm of what you already know is possible?

There’s never been an invention, creation or advancement of society that wasn’t an “impossible belief” before creation. Organ transplants, computers, iPhones^® and the Internet you’re using to read this blog were all impossible – until some “impossible believer” made them so.

The next time you catch yourself saying “I can’t do that” or “That won’t work,” remember maybe you can’t just now – but you won’t be stopped forever and it certainly won’t stop someone else from doing it. Remember how impossible it seemed the first time you coded a patient? Now you can do it in your sleep, but to a non-RN it’s an impossible thing.

Believe in “impossible success” for your career as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant and you’re on the way to achieving it.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what impossible beliefs you’ve proven possible.

While visiting Taktsang Palphug Monastery in Bhutan (also known as “The Tiger’s Nest”) I had the opportunity to speak to a monk who introduced me to the Tibetan Buddhist term “bardo,” which without getting too deeply into it can be translated as “the between moment.”

Vickie & Tom at "The Tiger's Nest"

Bardo is that period where you’re not occupied or busy with your life or legal nurse consulting business. In fact, you’re not occupied with anything but just being. It’s when you’re stopped at a red light or sitting and waiting outside an attorney-client’s office or sipping a cup of healthy green tea before your day kicks in.

Life is full of busy moments, significant moments and bardo moments. I often joke that I’m always “blowing and going” but when I’m not, those “between” moments are often the ones I use to do my deepest thinking and my personal restoration.

The next time you’re experiencing a bardo moment, don’t be bored or restless, reaching for your smart phone. Just enjoy it. Dive deep into yourself or better yet, into nothingness.

Success Is Inside!

At least once a day I hear someone say, “When I lose that 10 pounds I’ll be happy” or “When I get one more attorney-client for my legal nurse consulting business I’ll be happy” or “I’ll be really happy when my husband finally cleans out the garage.” Seeking happiness or anything else we desire outside of where we are now, or making our happiness dependent upon some extraordinary incident occurring, pins those expectations on the future.

The problem with that mindset is we don’t live in the future we live in the now, simple ordinary times filled with simple ordinary events. Sometimes extraordinary incidents (like being the CLNC^® consultant involved in a $20 million verdict) will happen, but those moments pass and their resulting happiness will pass too. It’s in this very moment that we must find our happiness, in our day to day living, such as interacting with a CLNC^® subcontractor or doing the research on a case.

Life isn’t a journey to happiness; it’s a journey in happiness. Some of the career benefits of becoming a CLNC^® consultant are being able to set your own hours and have more time with your family. It’s within those extra hours that you’ll find plenty of opportunities to experience the happiness you deserve: the sound of your children laughing, working really hard on a challenging case for your favorite attorney-client or simply prepping dinner.

Certainly extraordinary incidents will bring you joy, but on a daily basis you’re more likely to experience an ordinary one. Take a moment to enjoy them now. For the moment, this moment is all you’ve got.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what you’re finding joy in right now.

I was in the gym working out with my trainer Jerome this morning, and after finishing my bench press, Jerome exclaimed “We did it!” That cracked me up and I joked “We? I’m the one moving that weight and hey, I don’t see you sweating.” He came right back at me with, “But I was right there with you, Vickie. I’ve got your back so you can concentrate on feeling strong.”

I like to think I’m your “Jerome.” Whether you’re just starting your legal nurse consulting business or simply trying to take your CLNC^® business to the next level, think of me as your trainer. While you’re concentrating on the work ahead, I’ll be right there with you. When you read my blog, stay connected on Facebook or receive my mentoring advice, remember the “we” in your efforts. Yes, I’m right there watching your back and if you hang with me, the CLNC^® mentors and your CLNC^® peers in the NACLNC^® Association I promise you’ll always feel stronger.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what makes you feel stronger.

It’s a new year and I am reminded of a line from Sex and the City: “You don’t want to peak in high school.” Life and career are so much more interesting and satisfying when you constantly strive for your next peak. While most of your friends, family and coworkers have moved far past high school, you probably know someone who is still living, or constantly reliving, a “glory day” of scoring a winning point in a sports event, nailing a promotion or getting the biggest law firm in the city as a client for her CLNC^® business.

I’ve hit a few personal and professional peaks of my own: appearing on National Public Radio, Fox & Friends, becoming a New York Times bestselling author and staying happily married for 21 years. But I don’t want to be buried with any of those peaks as my crowning lifetime achievement. Why? Because I don’t want to peak – ever!

Some days we peak higher than others, and that can be okay. For example, I recently hiked in the Rincon mountains outside of Tucson, Arizona. It was a beautiful fall morning and our trail steadily climbed up and down until we reached the top of one mountain where we had a wonderful picnic lunch. There were higher and lower peaks around us, but the peak where we had lunch was a sunny, warm spot with a view of the Mission San Xavier del Bac in the distance as a bonus. That peak was perfect for that day, even though I’ve hiked more challenging trails.

People who never stop peaking are happier because they have something to look forward to besides the distant memory of past peaks, or even worse, high school.

Let’s all keep peaking in 2012! Happy New Year!

Success Is Inside!

2012 is upon us, yet for many over-extended nurses it feels like just another mile marker in an endurance race going nowhere. Depressing, but true. We trudge through the week at a dreary job, drive home fretting about money and spend our evenings robot-walking through the usual haze of homework battles and half-finished chores. Passion and fulfillment? Nope, just sheer survival. And the worst part is, most nurses accept that this is just how it is.

Buck up! You can do a lot more than barely get by – and 2012 can be the year you actually start enjoying your work and life again.

I’m not talking about forgotten New Year’s resolutions. I’m talking about truly changing the way you think about things, breaking old habits and tapping into your determination. I’m talking about taking responsibility for your own happiness. I see this all the time in your tweets, posts and status updates in social media – the desire to have someone or something sweep in and change your life. Don’t you think if someone was going to sweep in and rescue you, it would already have happened?

I’ve earned the right to be a tough talker. I know many of you think it’s been easy for me, but I started a business in 1982 when registered nurses did not own businesses. It is possible to create a life that excites and energizes you. But first you have to make a conscious choice to step out of your old, unfulfilling one (which is exactly what I did when I left my dead-end hospital job in 1982 to start my legal nurse consulting business). The choice to step out of an old, unfulfilling life is a choice you must make over and over again – if you don’t, your old patterns will suck you back in.

There’s no reason why 2012 can’t be your biggest, boldest, most wickedly successful year yet. But for that to happen you have to match your big goals with some real changes. You have to take on a wickedly successful mindset that doesn’t take “no” or “I can’t” or “I’m too tired” for an answer.

2012 is your opportunity to do it right. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to buck up and embrace the challenge.

Success Is Inside!

I hope that you share and enjoy this holiday season with those you love and that all of your holiday wishes come true. Remember, even a lump of coal is a gift (but I hope you do better than that)! Let’s all keep true to the spirit of the holiday and keep the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts.

Happy Holidays!

Success Is Inside!

As this holiday season comes into full bloom, with only four days left until Christmas and the inevitable aftermath of torn wrapping paper and dirty dinner dishes, I’d like to take a moment to discuss the best Christmas “present” you can give yourself. That present is being present – present in the moment with full attention and intention, not living with an eye on the past or looking to the future. It means living fully in the current moment – whether that moment is with your family, friends, legal nurse consulting business or attorney-clients.

As many of you already know, I have a morning tradition of waking up to two cups of healthy green tea. With the first cup, I take time to enrich my soul, set my intention for the day and, more importantly, give myself the present of starting the day by being present. This practice helps to prepare me for the upcoming frenzy and, while it doesn’t guarantee my day will be stress-free, it does guarantee that I’m better equipped to deal with the madness.

So buy yourself or your loved ones a Christmas gift – the present of being present. Here are three different resources that can help give you, or your loved ones, the present of being present.

The first is A Course In Miracles by Dr. Helen Schucman, a text that has the power to change your daily practices of living, learning, loving and meditating through a series of lessons and exercises. It’s not an easy read and is one of the most challenging books I have ever read, but if your mind is open it can transform all your relationships, whether spiritual or physical.

Second is Five Good Minutes: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long by Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstone. What I love about this resource is that while everyone may not be willing to get up early enough to have two cups of tea, anyone can find five minutes in their morning. This is a quick and easy way to train yourself to become present and start your day with calm.

My final recommendation is Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodron. I must admit I was first attracted to this book by the title, and being familiar with Pema’s other works, I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. It’s a great way to learn how to use meditation as a way of life, not just a practice.

Life is challenging enough without taking time for ourselves. Reading any one of these books won’t change your life immediately – think of them as seeds that will help you grow into all that you are meant to be. Give yourself the present of being present this Christmas and in the New Year.

Success Is Inside!

People tell me that what is even more impressive than the fact that I went from a hospital nurse to owner of a successful business is that I’ve sustained and grown that business for 29 years. Especially since we’ve gone through not just boom times, but also the ugliest recession since the Great Depression.

Managing my business and 23 employees is challenging and potentially exhausting. There’s one of me and 23 of them. When they have problems, they naturally think they’re worse than anyone else’s, but as the boss, their problems are magnified 23 times – plus I’ve got my own problems. I’ll readily admit there are days I might prefer to zap them with an Epi-Kit, defibrillate them back to life, or just holler “Off with their heads!” from the throne in my office.

“Off with their heads” is not a viable option, so I need to have my act together to show up the right way day after day after day. This is no easy task. How do I do it when I do? What’s the secret to my success? It’s actually very simple and every one of you can start doing it for yourselves too.

First, I wake up very early in the morning. No computer, radio or TV. I always love waking up because I do so just for me. Once I’m up, I make the first part of my day all about my development, emotional and physical. Emotional and physical renewal gives me the endurance and the stamina to do the running-a-business-thing day after day after day. I start the first part of my day with two cups of healthy green tea. Over the first cup of tea, I make time for my spiritual development. Over the second cup, I take time to read a book or just sit and connect with me and my passions.

Once the tea is gone and the mind is ready, it’s time to take care of the body so I’m off to the gym or out into our “hood” for a brisk walk. I exercise first thing in the morning because at the end of the day too many things (including me and my lack of motivation) get in the way. Early in my business, I pre-paid for a lot of evening Pilates^® classes that I never made. It took me a year to look reality squarely in the eye and admit I was more likely to exercise if I did it before my office opened.

I’m not saying that every Certified Legal Nurse Consultant has to get up early in the morning. You know yourself and what works best for you – maybe the end of the day is a better time.

The bottom line is that to be our best selves, we need time for ourselves. The key to making your CLNC^® success long-standing is to make sure you make time for your time. This is one of the keys to avoid being a one-hit wonder.

Success Is Inside!