Rising to the Top
Monthly news from the CCA Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team
Here's a quote from the late academic and humorist Leo Rosten that I thought would be appropriate for this month's article:
“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”
January is Rising Star Month. What does it mean to be a rising star? We recognize employees who are "stars" at CCA, but what about in our personal lives? Are we rising stars there?
The really great thing about January is that the New Year gives us an opportunity to reflect on our lives. We can design, revise and redesign our life plan. We can start over. There several areas of our lives where we may want to make changes.
Just look at the roles you play in your life. You may be a son, daughter, sibling, spouse, significant other, parent or friend. What about the role of teacher? Don't we teach all the time? Every interaction with others is an opportunity to teach. Are we leaders? Leaders teach and lay critical examples for others. We are leaders for each other, for the employees we supervise and even in our families.
Maybe you want to be a better spouse or parent. If so, determine what you'd like to improve upon. It may be spending more quality time with the other person. It may mean paying close attention to what he or she is saying and doing. It may mean a regular "date night" with that person – this can be meaningful whether it's with a significant other or with your child.
If you want to improve your performance at work, consider building your knowledge. Research and become more familiar with policy and procedures/post orders. Ask yourself what you would do if an incident happened at your facility. Contact your training manager and ask where you can gain more knowledge.
Set your goal and start moving toward it. Reflect on your progress. Are you moving in the direction you planned? Are you purposeful? Are you a rising star?
The CISM program's mission is expanding to include topics that may be of interest to staff dealing with stress in everyday life, not just at work. Be sure to check for new articles each month.
January 3, 2013
Sound Out
Meody Rodriguez at cutrus:
I consider myself to be a shining star because, Anything i positon myself to do i do it with pride and ambition. I am appricieated at home as a mother of 5 and grandma of 2.My mother is fighting a battle with cancer and i continuesly show my mom that this is a challenge that she can win so we wont give up. The biggest and hardest challenge is me being who i am at work and knowing that because everyone doesnt see that your the type of person that can inpress anyone with you just being you, you dont have everyone who is use to that. I prepare myself everytime i come through the doors at 6pm, that i am prepared to adjust my courtesy and show any action in life is always a purpose.god bless