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By Michele, on February 1st, 2012% 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.
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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.
By Michele, on November 21st, 2011% Whether you are setting a goal to become a cancer registrar, take your certification (CTR) exam, or you want to enhance your cancer registry skills, you will need to create an action plan. At first this sounds like a huge project, but it really is just a few simple steps.
Grab a 3×5 index card, something to write with and sit in your favorite chair. Now, just take a few minutes to think about what it is you want to accomplish. Now, at the top of the card write down, in one or two brief sentences, your goal.
Now, under your goal, write down at least one, no more than three, individual action items or steps to take to accomplish the goal. Once you’ve completed this part of the process you’re already way ahead of the “average” person. But, don’t stop. Keep going!
You’ve got your action plan in front of you, but who is going to help or mentor you along the way. Just by asking someone to help you stay accountable to your goal improves your chances of actually reaching it. Who are you comfortable with? Who understands your work and what you want to accomplish? Who will be honest and straight forward with you? Think of this person and write their name on the bottom of the card.
Your last action is to ask that person to help you. That’s all there is to it. Just ask. Even the most successful people have mentors and others in their life who help them stay focused and moving forward. The cancer registry profession is complex and changing rapidly, so why would you want to do this alone or jeopardize your ultimate success by isolating yourself from your peers?
Share your card, even make a photocopy of it, or email it, to your friend and mentor. Touch base with them routinely to update your progress and to solicit their feedback or suggestions. I guarantee if you do this you will see benefit and feel more successful about your plan and goal.
Congratulations! You’ve taken the first steps to achieving greater success! You have a plan and it is something you can monitor and track. Keep your card with you at all times and refer to it often. Update your progress as you go along. When you do reach your goal, celebrate you’re your friend or mentor.
At any point along the way, if there is something that I can do to help you achieve your goal please contact me. I would welcome the privilege to be your friend or mentor. You can also learn more about goal setting on our other blog by clicking here.
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Michele Webb creator of the cancer registrar continuing education program, http://www.RegistryMindset.com 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.
By Michele, on November 19th, 2011% As we approach the Thanksgiving Day holiday we all look forward to spending time with family and friends, good food, rest, relaxation and just “getting away from it all” even if only for a day or so. The holiday also gives us opportunity to appreciate the blessings we have in our lives.
While this is good, we can, and should, maximize gratitude and our performance by learning realistic thinking. Realistic thinking and daily thoughts of gratitude will not only enhance your value as a cancer registrar but they contribute to a healthier and happier lifestyle. All this, literally, is 100% free and readily available. Just imagine, no medical bills, no pills to take, no doctor visits. Instead, it is a process we use to think about and react to our daily lives and the world around us.
Now, realistic thinking is not about replacing negative thought with positive thoughts. We will always have and be bombarded by negative thoughts in our society. Instead, realistic thinking is the development of a process that helps you to change deeply ingrained habits of thought. Your awareness will increase as your abilities to control your thought processes and reactions increase. This, in a nutshell, is how you become a realistic thinker and move forward to a life of gratitude, happiness and success. When you incorporate daily gratitude and appreciation with realistic thinking you become a “force to be reckoned with” and significantly enhance your ability to change your thought patterns and reactions.
As cancer registrars our reactions to our workplace and environment are observed by others. Negative thoughts and behaviors detract from our effectiveness as a cancer registrar and negatively impact the value our profession and industry has in patient care. Just imagine the power and success that we can all experience if cancer registrars across the nation radically changed into realistic and grateful thinkers and doers! I know that each of us has the capability to make this change. I invite you to join me in evaluating your core behaviors and to adopt a realistic thinking process that will ensure your place in healthcare for the years to come.
To learn more about realistic thinking and how to change your life, read this article titled, “Taming Stressful Thoughts: Making Thoughts Work For You.”
To learn more about how gratitude can improve your brain health, happiness and longevity visit Dr. Daniel Amen’s website by clicking here.
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http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) who is committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional growth. She helps cancer registrars around the world as a motivational speaker, author, and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.
By Michele, on July 8th, 2011% 
Cancer Registrars must develop a new mindset and approach to solving problems in order to provide their organization’s cancer data needs today and in the future. Watch this great inspirational movie and let author, Michael McMillan show you how to re-train your approach to problem solving. Click here to watch this awesome video!
By Michele, on June 14th, 2011% You are invited to watch a short video on seeing into your future as a cancer registrar, click here.
How do you see yourself as a cancer registrar and what is in your future? Are you accomplishing great things or are you marking time until something better comes along? Psychologists tell us that most people do not feel or sense their purpose in life and some even doubt they have a purpose at all.
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, said: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
 As cancer registrars we have opportunities every day to live out our vision, to accomplish great things, to influence and lead, and to enrich the lives of others. The cancer registrar’s work impacts the lives of cancer patients and their families in very real and personal ways. Your purpose for doing this, however, and for even being a cancer registrar, comes from a place deep inside yourself. Your responsibility is to connect with your inner self, identify your purpose, have faith and live your life using your God-given abilities. Now, faith can be in a higher power that gives you a purpose for your life, but it is also in the call you hear from the center of your being. Are you ready to start seeing your life through the eyes of faith?
If you have been struggling with all the changes in science and medicine and how this relates to what you do as a cancer registrar, then it is time to stop looking at the problems and start seeing yourself as having an opportunity to defeat cancer.
If you have been battling with a negative attitude and resisting change, then it is time to stop dwelling in the negative and to start seeing yourself as blessed with having work and a unique skill set that allows you to serve the needs of others.
If you are having difficulty relating to others or communicating the needs of your cancer registry then now is the time to start seeing your purpose and value and how it can help you to communicate and collaborate to strengthen the needs of your organization and cancer registry profession.
If you live this way you will succeed. You will find success and achievement in everything that you do. You will be listening to your inner being and fulfilling your destiny on this earth. You will find meaning and purpose in all that you do and you will feed your emotional and professional needs and achieve greatness, happiness and success as a cancer registrar.
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Michele Webb creator of the cancer registrar continuing education program, http://www.RegistryMindset.com, 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 you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to website and URL.
By Michele, on January 24th, 2011% In 2010 sweeping changes were launched that are pushing cancer registrars to their limits and beyond. Undeniably it is the pace in which science and clinical medicine is changing that drives how cancer registrars need to work to keep pace and deliver the data and value to their healthcare teams. In a recent Journal of AHIMA article, Laura Vondenhueval, RHIT, CTR, said it best, “This is a massive change. It is a new way to look at how we are gathering our data.”
It is obvious that cancer registrars need to learn how to work in an environment where change is no longer the exception, but the norm. In the past we used to have long periods of stability with intermittent periods of change. Today, we need to shift our mindset and accept that we will now have almost constant change with intermittent periods of stability. Here are some common challenges cancer registrars face with constant change.
Challenge #1
Before the 2010 changes were introduced we thought that this was just a phase that healthcare was going through, and after a very brief period of adaptation, everything would revert to normal and we could go back to enjoying a long period of stability. Here’s a reality check, it’s not going to be that way any more because it’s not just a phase. Healthcare providers and standard-setters are expecting more from cancer registrars and are telling us that they are willing to make adjustments in their workforce if cancer registrars cannot change their thought processes or do their work differently. It’s not about workforce reductions, it is all about changing how we think about and do our work day to day.
Challenge #2
Today, when we do hit those infrequent moments of stability, we think that we have time to relax and enjoy the moment. In the past we focused on simply enduring the turbulence so that we could return to the comfort of stability. In order to succeed with today’s changes we must take advantage of the quiet, stable moments and use them as a “launching pad” to prepare for managing the next wave of change. During these moments of stability we should be thinking about what our healthcare teams and standard-setters will need from us in the short- and long-term future as well as what the new requirements might be. Look at the industry and investigate how to position yourself more competitively so you are prepared when the changes inevitably come.
Challenge #3
Some cancer registrars may have developed an attachment to stability and focused their energy on creating and sustaining it in the workplace. The hardest challenge of all will be to lose our attachments to stability. The cancer registrar needs to embrace change and harness its power and seek out new opportunities that change brings to us. Before 2010 we worked hard to get over change so we could relax; now we need to work hard at change so we can work hard at more change. Registrars who choose to play the role of the victim can ignore change and how to deal with it, but by the time they are in a position to do something about it they will have lost the opportunity to prepare for it, and likely their “edge” and career success as well.
So, what’s the solution?
First, make it OK to deal with change. Accept where we are and what we as cancer registrars need to deal with. Stop making judgments about change being necessary or unnecessary, good or bad, justified or not justified. Change does not have to control the reality of our situation or our ability to manage it or serve our teams.
Second, create a “safe” environment for yourself and other cancer registrars to deal with the change. Break the changes down into manageable chunks and begin to take action on small pieces of it. Start small and build from each successful step. Encourage and allow your staff and peers to take risks by coming up with new ideas and solutions to changing how we do our work. Provide a lot of encouragement and support to one another by building a solid support network and then by using it by tapping into its resources.
Third, if you, or some of your peers or co-workers tend to identify with the victim, set up some accountability and support for each other. Discuss the expectations and if necessary create workplace agreements and identify ways to interact and help one another so that each cancer registrar, whether they are local, regional, statewide or even nationally, can encourage you and other members of your network.
Fourth, begin a process of constant acknowledgement, support and challenge for cancer registrars. Be careful to not perpetuate the old paradigm of sitting back on your laurels during a stable period. Acknowledge people for managing the current change and encourage all to begin talking about and planning for new, incoming changes. When people get discouraged, provide support, acknowledge their success, and then present them with new challenges for growth.
Change is not new to cancer registrars, nor will it ever cease. Continual learning and enhancing the data that we collect to keep pace with medicine and science is driving the need for cancer registrars to develop new ways of thinking and doing their work. Periods of stability with intermittent change are now the old paradigm. Today, we must work hard to manage change in order to look ahead and be prepared for more change. Cancer Registrars cannot do this alone, they must develop a strong network of their peers for support, accountability and positive acknowledgement of their role in the fight against cancer.
IF YOU HAVE FOUND WAYS TO MANAGE THE 2010 CHANGES AND KEEP YOUR SANITY….POST A COMMENT BELOW. QUESTION: HOW CAN REGISTRARS HELP ONE ANOTHER THINK & DO DIFFERENTLY?
http://www.CancerRegistrar.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional development. She helps cancer registrars worldwide as a coach, mentor, educator, motivational speaker, and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.
By Michele, on January 16th, 2011% Automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, are thoughts that come into our mind automatically and ruin our day or send us into a negative tailspin. Dr. Daniel Aman, who developed the concept, talks of the destructive power of negative thoughts and how they alter the physical and chemical composition of our brains and literally destroy our mental and physical health.
We should not believe every negative thought we have because our thoughts lie to us all the time! It is our uninvestigated thoughts that turn us into mental midgets, make us sad or anxious, and erode our abilities as a Cancer Registrar.
 Our success as a Cancer Registrar depends on how we manage our thoughts and mindset. ANTs may attempt to invade our mind, but through proper care and maintenance of our physical and mental health we can avoid disaster by managing the thought appropriately and “killing” the ANTs.
Whenever you feel a negative or out-of-control thought, or have thoughts that are bothering you or making it hard to focus, Dr. Aman gives four questions to ask yourself:
- Is the thought true? Is the thought that is upsetting me really true?
- Can I know absolutely for sure that the thought is true?
- When I believe in the negative thought, how does it make me feel? (physically, emotionally and spiritually)
- Who would I be, or how would I feel, without the thought?
Work through the four questions then turn the original thought around to its opposite and ask yourself the same four questions. Is the opposite thought upsetting to you or true? You may be surprised at what you learn through this simple exercise.
Here’s an example of an upsetting thought: “My hospital does not care about my work as a Cancer Registrar.”
- Is it true? Of course not, you do have some control.
- Can I absolutely know that this thought is true? No.
- How do I feel when I believe the negative thought? Weak, inferior, sad, anxious, out of control, or worn out.
- Who would I be, or how would I feel, without the thought? Free to be in control and to be the best Cancer Registrar I can be.
Now, take that negative thought and turn it around to its opposite and ask yourself if the opposite of the upsetting thought is true? I have complete control over my skills and quite a bit of control in how others perceive my value and contribution as a Cancer Registrar.
How will you use this technique to “kill ANTs?” What ANTs have invaded your mind today and how did you handle them? Post your response as a COMMENT below.
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional development worldwide as a coach, mentor, educator, motivational speaker, and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to this website.
By Michele, on January 10th, 2011% (Part Five of our series titled “Agility Training for Cancer Registrars”)
Every business today is about relationships, including cancer registry. The quality and impact of your work, and the success of your cancer registry, depends on your relationships. As a Cancer Registrar you are facing new challenges in terms of reporting standards and data quality. As professionals it is important that you shake things up to stay fresh and viable in the business by reinventing yourself and your relationships. Cancer Registrars must figure out the next chapter in their lives, despite ever-changing requirements, economic struggles or organizational cutbacks. Standing still is not an option because if you are not growing, you are becoming stagnant or even dying professionally.
So, you’re probably asking yourself why you need to reinvent your relationships. As healthcare business changes, as the cancer registry operations change, so should you as a professional and now is the perfect time to get started. It’s time to re-evaluate your life and work and to objectively assess where you are now and where you are headed. And, since you’re starting over, dream big and bold!
Use these eight questions to evaluate where your situation and to take action to ensure that your career and professional success keep pace with cancer healthcare. In fact, use these questions with your staff or co-workers to align yourselves for even greater success.
- What fundamental activities or aspects about your work is important to you? Why?
- What is your mission in life and as a cancer registrar?
- What is your philosophy in life and as a cancer registrar?
- To find your passion, think back to a time when you were operating “in the zone.” What were you doing to get to that place in your life?
- Look at the people in your circle of influence, are they helping or hindering you? What, or whom, do you need to add to your circle of influence?
- Look ahead three years, where would you like to be in your professional life? What would your ideal cancer registry career look like? Then, frame your responses in the form of professional goals.
- Ask yourself, if you are sitting here in this same spot three years from now, what would have to happen for you to feel fulfilled and content with your work?
- Look at the cancer registry masters who have accomplished what you are trying to achieve, what strategies did they use? How can those strategies work for you?
If you honestly answer these questions you will have a good framework and idea of what your professional life should look like. Take each response and form it into a step, activity or goal that you need to accomplish. Always keep the end goal or picture in your mind and then work backwards to create an action list to get to your goal.
Reinventing yourself is hard work and reinventing relationships will require patience, thought and planning. However, if you choose not to do this you will likely be left behind or miss out on the success and professional recognition you deserve. Always keep your eye on the end goal and “prize.” Take responsibility for how your interactions at work impact others and the healthcare business. Make a commitment to take your work to a higher level and one that is dedicated to serving the needs of your organization, your professional community, and the customers they serve. Capitalize on the value that cancer registrars and the healthcare team brings to their work and find new or different ways to collaborate and serve the needs of others. This kind of focus will ensure that your business relationships remain fresh and productive and that you, as a cancer registrar, achieve success.
What are you doing to reinvent your business relationships? Post a comment below to tell us what ONE thing you have done that has made a positive difference in your work and life.
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) who is committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional growth. She helps cancer registrars around the world as a motivational speaker, author, and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.
By Michele, on January 7th, 2011%
Recorded September 9, 2010 with Shawn Achor, author The Happiness Advantage
Interviewed by Max Miller
“Question: What is the biggest misconception about happiness?
Shawn Achor: I think we think that happiness is something that you find or if you reach some level in a company or a school, then you’re happier. And what we’re finding is that happiness is not something that happens to you; happiness is a work ethic. It’s something that requires our brains to train just like an athlete has to train. In order to become happier, we actually have to focus our brains down on things that actually move us forward instead of getting stagnating in the things that… for example, stressing about things that are outside of our control doesn’t move us forward at all.
So what I think that what we need to be able to do is to not only change the formula for success, to help us to be able to focus upon this idea that if we prioritize happiness, it will then raise our success rates, but also a recognition that is something that we actually have to be conscious about on a daily basis because it’s something that actually requires effort, it requires training and requires us to be able to focus our attention on this. And if we do so, I think the thing that we oftentimes think is that if people get happy, they’ll stop working hard or that happy people are unintelligent. And what we’re finding is just the opposite. I think it is the most counter-intuitive thing we’ve found, which is happiness actually raises an individual’s intelligence and their success rates.
We find that the happy people aren’t always the smartest people, we know that there are… I’ve met tons of people that are very successful and not happy, and people that are extremely intelligent and not happy. So we might assume that those two things are divorced, but now what we really realize in the science is that both of those individuals are actually underperforming what their brain is actually capable of. And if we have more role models in our companies and schools of individuals that are positive and infect other people with that positivity rippling out through those mirror neuron networks, not only can we raise the levels of happiness and engagement in our schools and companies again, but we’ll actually raise their levels of successes as well.”
By Michele, on January 1st, 2011% Every year millions of us celebrate a new beginning with family, friends and our favorite party favors. The traditions continue forward as we make resolutions for our lives in the coming year. The “usual” list of resolutions are no surprise, spending time with family and friends, getting fit, losing weight, stop smoking, stop drinking, enjoy life more, and get out of debt. Now, you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that over 88% of us never live out those resolutions.
 I have an idea for cancer registrars! Let’s just toss out all the resolutions. Let’s stop making promises that you know you cannot keep or making excuses on why you didn’t get to your goal. Instead, let’s look at a positive alternative to New Year’s Resolutions. Are you ready?
Let’s pledge to each other to make a positive difference in each other’s lives in 2011. No boundaries, no rules, no prerequisites or cash required. When it is all said and done it is how we impact each other’s lives and how we make a difference in this world that matters anyway. So, quit wasting your time with resolutions and instead, choose to focus your time and energy in something much more meaningful.
Making a difference is really not that difficult. Here’s a simple 3-step program: 1) listen to your inner voice and be true to yourself. Some call it being “authentic.” Listen to your spiritual self and know what makes you truly happy to set the foundation for making a difference. Then, 2) be generous and kind with your words. Develop an awareness of others around you and find something positive to say to people each day. Be there to encourage, support and listen. Your words and time spent with others matter more than you know. Finally, 3) take action. Don’t be afraid to take action on your thoughts or to respond quickly to a situation. Never underestimate the impact your support and encouragement will have on others.
As cancer registrars we are linked together around the globe by a common passion for our work and common need to be supported and inspired by one another. All of us have equal responsibility, as a allied health professionals, to make a difference in someone’s life. Here are some suggestions:
- Leave a voice message with a cancer registry “buddy” who lives across the country saying you were thinking of them and just wanted to say “hi.”
- Write a short, handwritten, thank you note to a fellow cancer registrar, employee, manager, administrator or physician. Just send a simple “shout out.”
- Throughout your day take a few minutes of your time to speak directly to somone else. Reach out to them with your voice, a smile, compliment for a job well done, or to inquire about their health or family. Take just a few minutes to engage in a personal conversation.
- When you’re standing in the long line at your local coffee shop, turn around and smile and say “hello” to the person behind you. Put the iPod or Blackberry away and engage in greeting someone with a smile and warm “hello.”
I know you’re already excited about getting started! Don’t underestimate the power of one cancer registrar helping another, even with the simplest and most basic courtesy or kind word. Would you like to get some extra “mojo” from making a difference? Come back to this blog post every couple of days and let us know what you did for someone and how it made you feel? You can make a difference in someone else’s life just by sharing what worked well for you. I can guarantee that once you begin practicing making a difference that you will want, maybe even crave, helping someone else. Before you know it, it will be a way of life and an important and positive part of your day.
I look forward to helping you make a difference in 2011. Happy New Year!
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is committed to cancer registry leadership and to making a difference in the lives of cancer registrars worldwide. She is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) who cares passionately about her work and serving her community. She is a motivational speaker, author and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit tot he author and link back to this article on this website.
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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! 
