HJAR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2020 53 Scott Street CEO Medical Center of South Arkansas Sooner or later, no matter what your goal is, there will be difficulties. Difficulties come in various forms, including health issues, financial challenges, job loss, and dealing with conflicting personalities, to name a few. While I can’t predict what your difficulties will look like, I can say with certainty that they will come. As much as I wish life were one smooth transition from success to success, the fact is, any goal worth achieving lies on the other side of difficulty. The other obstacle is one I also have a hard time with: delay. If you know me, you know I like to see things done quickly and without delay. I like to get things done—yesterday. Just as we will certainly face difficulties, we will also certainly face delays. What I have learned is that there are times when delays are actually a good thing. It may mean that something is going to be done better. It may mean there are important details being addressed in order to make a smooth transition and successful operation. Sometimes the delays we stress over help us learn to be more patient. Delays are not always a bad thing, unless you let them set you off course. So how do we get through difficulties and delays? That answer lies right there in the definition of perseverance; stay the course and STAY STEADFAST IN DOING. You go into the office only to learn your position is being eliminated. What do you do? STAY STEADFAST IN DOING. You hit a wall in your business and things aren’t working exactly as you had planned despite your best efforts. What do you do? STAY STEADFAST IN DOING. You have a major project deadline looming and have just learned that a production delay is going to set your project back considerably. What do you do? STAY STEADFAST IN DOING. The difference between success and failure hangs in the balance between what happens and what you decide to do about it. I would encourage you to stay the course and STAY STEADFAST IN DOING. STAY; don’t make a rash decision in the midst of a crisis. Stop and give yourself a defined window of time to think but don’t be in the stay stage too long. After reflection and evaluation, it’s time to get busy and start doing again. STEADFAST; do what you need to do to get stable, and do not deviate from your end goal. If it means focusing only on the basic necessities, do it. If it means drawing back new initiatives in order to maintain a steady service, do it. If it means taking time to figure out a new angle or process, do it. If you are forced into crisis mode by forces beyond your control, focus on controlling the parts of the situation you can. DOING; after you have stopped the crisis and gotten stable, you need to act quickly to regain momentum. Take the next steps. Difficulties and delays can be challenging and hard to overcome, but with perseverance, what seems impossible is possible. It is a choice to persevere through the challenges you are facing. Choosing perseverance is often the difference between success and failure. As you navigate through the world of impossibilities and challenges, learn from your struggles, and turn what seems impossible into possible through perseverance. n