Henry David Thoreau said: “The world is but a canvas to our imagination.” If you don’t first care for yourself, you can’t see the world as an abundant canvas filled with opportunity.
If you’re stressed, battling a health problem, sleep-deprived or struggling in a significant relationship, it’s hard to see the opportunities. When you love, nurture and care for self, you see yourself differently, therefore you see the world and its opportunities differently. Perception is a mirror. The boundaries of your CLNC® business are only as grand as your perception allows.
Take time every day to reconnect with the best of your spirit, mind and body. Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Connie Chappelle, RN, MN, ARNP, CLNC says, “To be able to provide exceptional service to attorneys I have to take care of myself. That means eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, volunteering, reading something other than medical records (such as a good mystery), going to the movies and surrounding myself with positive people.”
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Rebecca Jones, RN, MSN, CNM, CLNC says, “Don’t forget about you! Even on your busiest days take 30 minutes to walk and clear your head, meditate, get some fresh air or take a bubble bath! Whatever it is that changes your activity and immediate surroundings for as little as 30 minutes can be the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling in control.”
Connie and Rebecca come at it from different angles, but they both demonstrate that you do need to systemize caring for yourself, just as you systemize managing your legal nurse consulting business.
Start small – small changes matter. It’s easier to start small rather than with a lofty goal which you might not achieve and then be discouraged. And you think, “Why bother, I’m not achieving my goals anyway.” Before you know it you have no goals.
Eliminate negative ruminating thoughts – the ones that get caught in your head like a bad song and just run in circles reinforcing negative messages. Positive thoughts are a highly effective and underestimated way to take care of self.
Don’t say yes by default to everyone and everything. When you say yes to one thing you’re saying no to something that may be more important. Connie Chappelle shares, “When you don’t set boundaries, things can get unbalanced very quickly. Successful CLNC consultants say no to things that are not important to reaching their goals.”
Finally, take a moment to consciously feel and express gratitude. It can be for the simplest of things – “This is the best chicken soup I’ve ever eaten” or it can be for something complex “Thank you for all my attorney-clients – even that rascal Jim.”
Take care of you and you’ll find taking care of your CLNC business is a lot easier.
Success Is Yours!
P.S. Comment and share your plan for taking better care of you.
ON TARGET! There is no question that it DOES NOT take big, expensive, travel or even winning the lottery to make a difference in our attitude and productivity. It DOES take diligence with simple pleasures that bathe our souls with goodness to vault our attitudes and productivity in incredible ways!
I love it, Vickie. Thank you for all your motivation and encouragement.