By Andrea Goeglein
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- We do not change if we are not aware enough of new information that causes us to shift our perspective.
- The longer you hold a perspective, the truer you believe it is.
- Just because you believe something to be true does not make your perspective correct, it just means time solidifies your belief.
Dr. Success Challenge: Think of a person or institution for whom you hold a negative perspective. How long ago did you create that perspective? When was the last time you checked your perspective with a current experience?
This week I was forced to come face-to-face with my own Don’t Die Principle: Change Your Awareness and Your Perspective Changes. It happened under unpleasant circumstances: my Dad’s hospitalization for double pneumonia.
Fact: Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York has a 1 ½ star rating on the internet. That rating agreed with my long held perspective. Jamaica Hospital is the closest hospital to my parents’ home and, over the years, I have dreaded the potential that they would end up needing services at that hospital.
Fact: I am here to tell you that rating is unjustified. During my 5 days of visiting the hospital I found myself experiencing several lessons that I invest a lot of time teaching. I believe how you treat people is how you will be treated. If you expect them to treat you well, they will treat you well. If you treat them with respect, they will return the courtesy. I combined those beliefs with a lesson Dr. Roy Jacques taught me: the central point for care in a hospital is the nursing staff and support staff at every level — not the doctors. That lesson has served me well this week.
Here is my suggestion for you. If the negative experience you thought about in the Dr. Success Challenge is more than 3 – 5 years old, it is time for you to invest in some new awareness experiences. This will allow you to expand your own knowledge bank and could adjust your perspective. I would like to suggest you not wait until something unpleasant occurs, but many times we do our best learning under such circumstances.
Good news for me, I experienced a few lessons, adjusted my perspective and my Dad recovered rapidly!
