"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" simply stated means you cannot hope to get someone to buy into a vision that you yourself have not bought into. This is a concept we use at work a lot within management and employee relations. It can also apply to experience, if you don't believe in meditation how can you expect to convince a patient that it might work for them? If you haven't ever been depressed or suicidal how can you relate or encourage someone who has? If you have never been terminally ill, how can you give advice to someone who is? That is why it is so important to work in a field that you know you can easily relate to others in, I'm going into Physical Therapy simply because I know I won't have that many specific conditions that would need my personal experience in order to effectively treat a patient and help them recover. I have been hospitalized for a diving accident that paralyzed me from the waist down when I did a flip and hit my head on the board on the way down. I had to re-learn how to walk again and it was frustrating and my parents even thought I was faking it!! That is the worse thing to deal with when you get seriously hurt is the people you count on not even believing you are really injured.
I do believe we have an obligation to develop ourselves in any area that can better enable us to treat and participate in the recovery of our patients, being well versed in all areas of integral health can only help us. You never know what kind of background your patients may come from or be active in so knowing a little about each one is certainly advantageous. The way I can implement psychological or spiritual growth in my life is to apply it when needed, and be open minded to others and the many different ways they choose to apply it as well.
Hello Jada,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say if you don't believe in meditation how can you expect to convince a patient that it might work for them. That is a idea I live by.I think it these idea allow us to be more opened minded when it comes to patient care and wellness.
Great post
Leena
While I understand where you're coming from when practicing what you preach. There are some instances where one method works for one person and doesn't for another. However, I believe the power of knowledge is equally as important. By understanding meditation and benefits that a person can have from implementing it in their life, they can have great success; some people prefer a different method. While you mentioned that relating to someone terminally ill is difficult because you haven't been in their shoes, it's not necessarily being able to understand each problem they're having, but having great empathy for comfort is more important. I worked in hospice as a teenager, and obviously I had no idea what they were going through, however, listening, offering comfort and doing simple tasks or favors, the patients were more than happy with the gesture, not that I could related to their specific situation.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point you make, I agree, I guess in that situation all I can do is offer empathy and comfort. Thanks for broadening my horizons!
DeleteHi Jada,
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is important to practice what you preach. This helps to build rapport and credibility with your clients and allows you to share the experiences and challenges that you have encountered with your journey with your clients. Although I don't think as a professional it is impossible to have experienced everything that clients will come to you with I think that compassion and empathy can help to fill the gap when experience is not present.
Brandy
You are totally right Jada. If you show leader ship and practice what you preach others with follow and take you as an example of good leadership.
ReplyDeleteHeather C