Kindness Is Happiness
It's time to trade the home office in for a real office (I've been working from home greater than 5 months). Back to the University I go. It's a two-week countdown to my return. I would be a liar if I didn't say, I enjoyed my time at home. On the other hand, I really do miss my patients. I like people, enjoying those daily interactions of listening to what has been going on in their lives. I miss their mannerisms and facial expressions because that adds to the story.
I miss my colleagues, too. We are a quiet group, but I do enjoy the occasional laugh, especially during our weekly meetings. (I do admit, Zoom has helped us be a bit more relaxed.)
If I have learned anything from this experience it would be... Flexibility when it comes to work is great, but it can also be daunting... Self-motivation is critical... Staying connected is even more critical (thank you for those check-ins, boss lady) and finally, a reputation for being dependable and reliable means something, to the right people, and will garner you much respect.
What it all comes down to and what I am really talking about is kindness. I think about that word often. Do you really have to ask why? It’s because of the Coronavirus mask fiasco. That silly mask, that so many of us take for granted really makes me want to be a better person, to do the right thing – more importantly to do right by others, especially the people who are counting on me to do my part at home, and definitely at work.
That might sound silly to some, but little things add up to big things that can get way out of control, so the latter deserves our full attention. Skip enough little things and the long-term results will be poor (by the way, greater than 5 million Coronavirus cases in the United States and 162,000 deaths).
I’ve been doing all the little things before returning to work… Checking in with patients, tracking data, completing timely telehealth visits, etc., because when I say, Oh, that can wait until tomorrow or next week, and that boss lady might actually need it yesterday, and I am not prepared… That’s not a kindness.
Kindness impacts every aspect of our lives… Work and home, personal and professional relationships, etc. Every situation deserves to be treated with kindness. Never forget that kindness impacts our health and overall well-being. At work, we should take heed to be more mindful of our kindness as it contributes to our overall success. It will improve your performance, too.
How can you be more kind to others? – paerki
