It’s a new year.

For most of you, it is the first full week back at work after a pretty nice stretch of days off here and there for the holidays. Many of you may not feel quite “ready to be back". I am here to encourage you to swap your “New Year’s Resolution” for cultivating the habit of reframing your day to day routine and to using your time for self improvement. Here, give it a shot...

Turn off your radio as you pull into your normal parking spot at work. Stop and think for a second about your drive in this morning.

Did you notice the cars you passed, the weather outside,  what songs you listened to on the radio, or were you just on auto-pilot the whole way here?

Did you go to school for 7 years or longer so that you could miss out on the first part of your day before getting to help out the patients with whom you spend more time than some of your family members?

It is hard to sit back and reflect on the life choices that we have made thus far and keep an eye on the short term future ahead of us. It is helpful to try to make the effort to start each day fresh with the realization that you have the chance to help so many people.

Remember, we all probably went into the field of physical therapy to help others. We weren’t thinking about the debt we would accrue or the salaries at the end of it. Our plan was to take our knowledge of the human body along with our charming personalities to work with those who could benefit from our guidance. 

As a challenge, try starting your next workday with a little reflection and mindfulness. 

First, if you park in the same spot each day, try something different. Gift yourself with the opportunity to get some extra steps in before taking a significant portion of your day sitting and doing exactly what we ask our patients not to do. How hypocritical is it for us as fitness professionals to be upset if someone (likely an eager 8am patient) took our spot close to the door, and so now we have to take an extra 20 steps? Do your body a favor and park a little ways away and admire the epic signage of your clinic as you get to breathe in some fresh air before starting the day.

Next, as you cross that threshold of outside to inside, take a look around your clinic and find something you didn’t notice the day before. Is there a cup of pens by your front desk that you didn’t know about? Did your boss change flavors of coffee available in the Keurig? Is there some trash on the ground that you could pick up with your flawless squat form or golfer’s lift?

Then, as you go about your day, try to approach that “difficult patient” with an open mind. Yes, we all know that they are likely in their own head and just need to do a few less 12oz curls or spend less time watching reruns of The Office. However, that isn’t going to allow you to treat them at your fullest potential. Try to approach them a little differently. Try to imagine what the day is like for THEM. Use your time together to explore how their weekend went or to trial a treatment approach/conversation technique you have been interested in trying. 

Finally, as your day is coming to a close and you have whatever amount of documentation left to complete, realize that you likely just made a positive impact on 8-30 people today.

Do you know how lucky you are to have an opportunity like this?

Being in the field of physical therapy, we have the chance to help people improve their lives through managing their pain and increasing their function. Yes, there are plenty of claims out there talking about the best way to do that, however, why spend so much time on that minutiae when you are doing your best to help others?

Whether it is by using your words and interactions within a BPS approach, your manual therapy techniques, or your honed diagnostic skills, you are able to help people each day.

Next time you think that the pay isn’t worth it or that your boss pushing your productivity is a real drag, take a second to appreciate that you spent a significant portion of your life gaining the skills necessary to help your patients and they are coming to you for your expertise and guidance. 

As you come to this realization that you are able to help hundreds to thousands of people each year in their battle against pain and limited function, remember that you have set yourself up for this.

By being a part of the Level Up Initiative, you are making conscious efforts towards improving outcomes for your patients. Now, try to use those same conscious efforts in your day to day and realize that we are getting to live out one hell of a life each day and many others are missing out by letting the little things keep their minds jaded.

With this mindful practice you will open the doors to becoming a little more self-aware. By doing so you are joining a new cohort of people that are able to find joy in the small actions that the vast majority of the population take for granted. Many people live their lives on auto-pilot as they dread going to a job they worked so hard to attain. If you are unable to find the joy in the little things in life, you may be setting yourself up for the hard realization of time being wasted down the line. 

So do yourself and those around you a favor today and slow down a bit. Stop and smell the roses, if you will, and challenge yourself to see things like work, errands, notes, etc as things you GET to do, vs. things you HAVE to do. Head into 2020 with your head down, eyes forward, and heart and mind open! 

Thanks for reading!

Trace McClintock