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Maintaining Ideals in the Real World
By Jon Shinn, Keri Blythe Shinn, CO "I just found out there's no such thing as the real
world, just a lie you've got to rise above."
John Mayer, from the 2002 hit song, "No Such
Thing"
It's not very hard to be idealistic in our youth. In addition to
the energetic spirit that comes from having your whole life in
front of you, there is also a hefty dose of naiveté that keeps
obstacles hidden from view. But as we enter the "real world" and
those obstacles rear their ugly heads, naiveté tends to fade
quickly, and idealism often goes with it.
But then there are those special individuals who seem to buck
the trend. Faced with the same obstacles, they lose their
naiveté just like everyone else, but the spirit of idealism
grows instead of faltering as they accumulate the skills and
experience needed to pursue their dreams with ever-increasing vigor
and effectiveness.
As young idealists determined to stay that way, we've sought to
discover the secrets of these wizards, who move through life with
wisdom and grace, undisturbed by challenges and disappointments. We
thank the staff of The EDGE for giving us this opportunity to
humbly share a few of the nuggets of wisdom, passed on by the
masters, that have worked well for us.
1) Remember that you control the effort that you put
into something, but not the result that comes out. Since
naiveté comes with the territory, you're bound to envision
things as being easier and less complex than they actually are. So
how do you keep from feeling "beat up" when they turn out to be
more difficult, and change takes much longer than you hoped it
would? The best strategy is to remember that you are responsible
for doing your best, but not for effecting any specific outcome,
because there are always many factors outside your control. These
outside factors are part of the world that you must navigate
through, but they need not have any bearing on who you are. Instead
of getting frustrated by them, ask yourself what you can do
differently to overcome them more effectively.
A helpful exercise is to take any outward goals that you have
set and turn them into inward ones. Instead of "the O&P
profession will provide adequate care for all who need it," try "I
will be willing to make personal sacrifices to help patients who
cannot afford adequate care, making a difference locally and
setting an example for the rest of the profession." Turning your
focus to your own efforts puts you back in control and opens up
your creative energy, making you much more effective at dealing
with the obstacles that block the desired outcome. It is one of
life's great paradoxes that those who can maintain their focus on
gentle, continuous self-improvement, instead of demanding specific
changes in the system or in others, are the most successful at
making a real difference in the world.
2) Recognize problems as opportunities, failures as
points of growth, and successes as gifts that don't belong to
you. Throughout the life cycle of an individual, an
organization, or even an entire profession, obstacles and
challenges are the means by which growth is achieved. Instead of
wishing that problems didn't arise, meet them face-to-face with a
spirit of adventure and discovery. Each obstacle is a chance to
learn something new, and each failure simply means that you still
have more to learn from the current situation. When you do succeed,
don't revel in it. Be grateful for the strength and wisdom that
helped you through a difficult time, and turn your eyes forward to
meet the next challenge. The O&P profession currently faces a
number of obstacles, from shrinking reimbursements to encroachment
by other fields to debates over certification standards. It's easy
to bemoan these difficulties, but they are also the catalysts that
are encouraging professionals to be more creative in patient care
and more efficient in business processes, pushing manufacturers to
develop and deliver their products at a lower cost, and helping
everyone to realize the need for unity and compromise. Because
there are many individuals and organizations that are willing to
meet these challenges head on, the profession will emerge leaner,
stronger, and more capable of dealing with the challenges that
21st-century patient care will bring.
3) Find what motivates you and use it, while also
recognizing that it will change with time. Many people
will say that money is a bad motivation for getting into the
healthcare field, by which they mean either that you're not likely
to make as much as you hope, or that you are in some way violating
the profession's ethical standards by seeking personal achievement
and financial gain. However, motivations arise as a natural
response to a whole array of life conditions, and changing your own
motivations unnaturally is at best problematic, and at worst,
impossible. So instead of conforming to someone else's ideas about
what should motivate you, seek to discover what actually does
motivate you, and then use that to be the best that you can be
according to your current definition of success. At the same time,
stay open to the fact that motivations will shift as life
conditions change.
For example, many people enter the O&P field because they
find the job interesting and hope that it will provide them with a
stable income to support their family and ensure a comfortable
future. These are very respectable goals that a young practitioner,
technician, or assistant will likely achieve over time if they are
hardworking and committed. But what happens after these goals are
reached? If the person does not remain open to a shift in
motivations, they may either become bored or develop an unhealthy
drive for excessive money or status that leads to unhappiness. If
they instead remain watchful over their own motivations, they may
experience a natural awakening of humanistic values, as a strong
desire to help others becomes the driving force. And after years of
being happy serving each individual patient in the best way they
can, that same person may develop a new motivation to take on a
leadership role, not for the sake of status, but rather to oversee
the progress of the profession and help ensure a successful future
for patients and professionals alike.
4) Enjoy yourself. You've chosen a career in a
field that has many wonderful advantages. You might not get filthy
rich, but you probably won't have too much trouble feeding your
family. You may not save the world, but you'll make it a better
place for the individuals that trust you with their care. And the
profession might continue to struggle in defining its role in the
tumultuous world of healthcare services, but progress is being made
each day, due to the creativity and hard work of many wonderful
people. So remind yourself each day of how lucky you are, and smile
as often as you can. It's amazing how the willingness to smile can
shift your perspective and make a difficult situation seem not so
bad after all.
Perhaps most important of all is to remember that true wisdom is
only gained through experience. We hope these little tidbits are
helpful in encouraging you to think about your own brand of
idealism, and we wish you luck in discovering the secrets that work
for you. If we meet along the way, we hope that you'll endeavor to
share them with us as we've had the pleasure of doing here with
you. Jon Shinn is Lead Project Architect for oandp.com, Gainesville, Florida. Contact: jon@oandp.com
Keri Blythe Shinn, CO, is clinical director at O&P Clinical Technologies, Gainesville, Florida, and a clinical consultant for the tools, services, and information provided by oandp.com. Contact keri@oandp.com 
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Idealism vs Realism: Balancing the Scales in O&P Practice
- June 2004
We all want to make a difference in this world; most of us want to leave it a better place than we found it. Unfortunately, with each passing moment, and with each of the hundreds of choices we make every day, we limit ourselves to a narrower and narrower path of opportunity and accomplishment.
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Table Of Contents - July 2004
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