Leaving the City Behind

The most recent headline controversy involves a CEO who was reprimanded for insensitive comments she made after employee bonuses were cancelled. Maybe you saw this story. Her comment, “You can visit Pity City, but you can’t live there," and "So, people, leave Pity City,” didn’t sit well with those not receiving expected money. Clearly, wrong words at the wrong time, but I kind of get what she was trying to say. When things don’t go our way or we don’t get what we want, it’s easy to visit Pity City where we can wallow in our misfortunes and feel sorry for ourselves.

Feeling sorry for ourselves is an easy mindset but it can be extremely dangerous and lead to a downward spiral of thoughts and emotions. So, how do we avoid Pity City? The first step is to recognize when we are slipping into these thoughts. We need to be aware of the negative self-talk that we engage in and challenge it. Instead of focusing on our problems, we need to shift our focus to finding solutions. We need to take responsibility for our lives and our circumstances and take action to improve them.

One way to leave Pity City behind is to practice gratitude. Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we need to focus on what we do have. This shift in mindset can have a profound impact on our overall well-being and happiness.

ICAHN Rural Health Fellowship: Good Work and Optimism

Another way to leave is to focus on the good.  Rural healthcare is tough and can be downright discouraging. It would be easy to have a rural health care pity party.  I’ve listened to a couple of ‘expert’ speakers recently that left me feeling like we should all just pack up and get out of Dodge. But then I get the opportunity to see just the opposite attitude at so many ICAHN events. The most fun I had recently was at the closing of the ICAHN Rural Health Fellowship. There were 19 Fellows in this year’s cohort and last Wednesday the group gathered for the final time to reflect on what they learned and to share their project presentations.  This day was full of good work and optimism.

ICAHN Fellows: Finding Solutions

I encourage you to take the time to look at the work these Fellows did last year in their hospital. You can see the list Fellows, their mentors, and project PowerPoints here:

 https://icahn.org/icahn-rural-health-fellowship-projects-2022-23/

It’s really amazing work, especially considering that the Fellows had their regular work to keep up with and a short 6 month time span. How did they do it? With the right attitude and the right support. Being in the Fellowship surrounded them with positive and supportive people who encouraged them to be their best.

The Sunny Side

Keep looking on the bright side. Working in rural health has its challenges and it would be easy to just focus on what we don't have and how we can't compete. But I feel our greatest asset is that we are solution focused. The next time you find yourself slipping into a pity mindset, take action and shift your focus to what can be done. By practicing gratitude and surrounding ourselves with  supportive people, we can leave Pity City behind and move towards a more positive and fulfilling personal and work life. That's how I see it this week from where I sit.