What is it that keeps you motivated? What keeps your engine running at an optimum
rpm? What keeps you going even when all
around you is not going well at all? In this post I will open my life to you and let you see what
keeps me motivated, positive, and hopeful.
First, I want you to know that I cultivate spirituality deep in my heart
and soul. The Bible provides inspiration. Prayer provides a place of confession,
forgiveness, direction, assurance, confidence, and peace. Together Bible reading and prayer form a
solid foundation for my inner life.
Proverbs 22:29 (NIV) reads, “Do you see a man skilled in his
work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” There are so many skilled hospice Chaplains
that I have learned from and who continue to do their work with
excellence. They invested time and
information in my life. The least I can
do is put that information to use and go several steps farther and gain insight
of my own. Giving my best effort, doing
a good job, exhibiting confidence and demonstrating my own strengths and
abilities are all facets of the beautiful diamond I call, “Excellence in
Spiritual Care”. An unknown thinker wrote,
“One of the greatest sources of energy is pride in what you are doing.” Every hospice Chaplain should be a student of
the profession. Getting into a rut of
doing the same thing with each patient is a dangerous place to be. After all, a rut is defined as a grave with
both ends kicked out. Make time to read
about hospice chaplaincy. Buy yourself a
subscription to professional journal such as Plainviews. You will be
informed and challenged by what you read.
You will grow. And, it must be
remembered that soon you and your staff colleagues must do the work of top 10%
hospice Chaplains or your hospice might not receive its full
re-imbursement. While it is not all on
the Chaplains to excel, certainly, the Chaplains should lead the way to
excellence.
Let me tell you what your manager is looking for when your
annual review comes do. The manager is
looking at the big picture of your chaplaincy.
The big picture is comprised of many small actions. Together they make up the whole. Such things as attitude, commitment to the
hospice philosophy, productivity, documentation excellence, and healthy
relationships with staff are some of the matters a manager looks to in
completing a yearly evaluation. I am not
looking for our Chaplains to be perfect. I am looking for them to be
consistently excellent. Our bar is high
at Cornerstone. So far, our Chaplains
are reaching it a good bit of the time. They
are aware of two things: first that I must be a top 10% manager and, second,
they must be top 10% Chaplains. While
these are daunting goals, they are not out of reach. In fact, as Robert Frost put it, “Two roads
diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made
all the difference.” I may be wrong, but
don’t think so, when I say that I believe that many more people are looking to
travel an easier road. Therefore, I
choose the road less traveled. Yes, it
will be harder and more challenging, but the rewards are far greater.
Yesterday, my pastor said to me, “I don’t know how you do
it. You work with people with so little hope.” At first glance, that statement
has a ring of truth to it. But, when you think of it, our patients have every
reason to hope… to hope for reconciliation with a loved one and, perhaps, to
God; to tie up the loose ends of their lives in the time that remains; to find
forgiveness; to extend forgiveness; to realize that life was, indeed, worth
living; to celebrate a life well lived; to bless those who need to know that
they were and are loved and appreciated; to affirm the depth of love for a
spouse; to review life with a spouse and/or children (adult or younger). Hope lives in hospice.
So, Blessed Chaplain Colleagues, I urge you to give your all
in service to your patients and their loved ones. Be motivated, be positive, be strong, and be
faithful.
