Have you listened to the news recently?  If so you probably heard at least a few of these words:  crisis, disaster, scandal, tragic, threat, devastation, danger, emergency, shooting, crash, and the list goes on.  No wonder people feel hopeless or become apathetic!  The few moments of news that is uplifting does nothing to counter the barrage of negativity and media hype.  

Not too long ago Darren Hardy, editor of Success magazine interviewed racing legend Mario Andretti.  When asked what his No. 1 success tip was, Andretti said, “Don’t look at the wall.  Your car goes where your eyes go.”  As a teenager I frequently went rock climbing and rappelling.  The secret was to not look down or to think about going down.  You enjoyed the activity when you admired the scenery around you and trusted your gear to get you safely up or down the face of the rock.  Imagine a tightrope walker who only focused on the ground.  If they do not look up and focus on the rope, they will fall!   

Our brains are complex organs but there are some simple rules you can follow to be in control of your life and your success as a cancer registrar.  Your mind will hold whatever it is you think about, talk about and act on.  If your mind is filled with negative thinking or if your social circles are filled with negative people who incessantly dwell on the dark side of life.  Or, if words like, too busy, overworked, misunderstood, not valued, or no one cares are in your vocabulary, that is what you will get back in life.  You’re probably familiar with the adage, “garbage in, garbage out.”  

We get in life what we create and our expectations drive the creative process that we call life.  Our expectations come from what we think and talk about.  They come from the thoughts and words of people we associate with and the relationships we form.  Whatever we allow ourselves to see and hear has an impact on our brain.  

In your cancer registry, what do you talk about?  What is the focus of your conversations and what do you want to happen?  Is your talk or behavior positive or is it one of “doom and gloom?”  If there is only grumbling about too much work to do, or if you only gripe about the new reporting rules or standards or the water-cooler talk is about team members who you feel are not supporting or valuing your work, then consider cleaning house!

It’s time to flush your mind and develop a positive, inspirational and supportive environment.  By changing your thoughts and behaviors you can overcome challenges and obstacles that would have otherwise sent you into a blue funk.  Creating a mindset of gratitude, abundance, health, love and joy so that you can grow and be successful is a constant challenge, but one that CAN be done.  

It is time to take back control of your mind and your life.  If you focus your thoughts and attention on what is right in the world and in your workplace then others will not have the power or potential to do you harm.  If you focus your attention on ideas, information and knowledge and with an eye to the mission and values of your organization you will be able to serve others and grow your value as a cancer registrar and member of your family and community.  By taking back control of your mind and focus you can make a positive difference in the world.    

——————–

Michele Webb creator of  http://www.RegistryMindset.com the cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author.  You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL.