Thanksgiving is about taking one day to give thanks for all that we have now, all that we have had in the past and all the possibilities we have in the future. Some of us are most thankful for our family and friends, our health, the people we work with and the freedom to be who and what we choose.
Every Halloween I’m reminded of one of my deepest childhood fears. It’s not spiders, ghosts or ghouls. Click here for my story on National Public Radio’s “This I Believe” if you’d like to know what that fear was and how I overcame it. I doubt that you have the same fear I did, but maybe a different one is getting in the way of achieving your goals as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Are there any tricks your mind plays on you that keeps you from the treats you want?
Monday evening, while Vickie and I were slaving over our hot keyboards with our usual single-minded focus, I suddenly got bumped offline. Just as I’d advise any Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, the first thing I did was close my web browser, then reopen it and try to reconnect. That didn’t work. Next, I glanced over at Vickie and saw, to my absolute horror, that she was still connected to our corporate VPN, happily working away.
I recently mentored a CLNC student, Joanne, who shared that she was terrified of contacting and interviewing with attorneys. A few probing questions got to the heart of the fear. “I’ve spent 30 years being invisible at the hospital with no one listening to me or respecting what I have to say about patients. Now I’m supposed to walk into an attorney’s office and suddenly feel good about selling myself.”
I choose to step into the world of success because I don’t enjoy the alternative. I like my success wicked, that is exaggerated and unprecedented. If you choose to step into the world of success in your CLNC business, there will be days you’ll feel like you’re in the Hunger Games where:
A CEO of another company just called to thank me for doing business with her. We were on the phone together less than two minutes. She runs one of Houston’s largest woman-owned companies so I know she’s busy. Time invested – two minutes. Payoff – priceless.
I’m about to hit the road again for the fall season of CLNC 6-Day Certification Seminars. Even though I must confess when I’m at home I enjoy my personal “Tower of Whipped Cream Terror” I find that when I’m at home it’s easier to maintain my healthy habits than when I’m on the road.
I was in the middle of an extremely important project working with a team of vendors. Things were going really well until one of the vendors announced that he wasn’t feeling so good and needed to rest. Maybe because he knows I’m a nurse, he started in with the whole bloody story of what was ailing him. I got the blow-by-blow description of an extremely bloated set of signs and symptoms, all of which added up to Much Ado About Nothing.
Life is good – and it got even better the day I nearly wrecked my healthy lifestyle. I’m committed to a healthy lifestyle and my legal nurse consulting business practically depends on it, but I wouldn’t label myself a health Nazi. Yes, I eat the occasional potato chip, bag of movie popcorn and can even be spotted putting butter on my steak (I love Texas!). But traveling and suffering as much “road food” as I do, I try to eat healthy at home. Steamed veggies, grilled salmon, healthy soups and fiber-filled salads.
Because I’ve never viewed complaining as a smart or productive choice, I knew I didn’t want to become like so many nurses who opted for choice #3, which is to work and complain all the way through it. Yet, thirty years ago I recognized that I just might get swept along and become one of those complaining nurses if I didn’t take control of my nursing career. Not one to be a victim, I took control, stepped out and started my legal nurse consulting business.
*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.
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