Okay, so now what?!

Today I had an email from an MT who said, great, so we're supposed to be engaged. So how does one get that way? A GOOD question. It's easy to say "well, just let the naysayers do their thing and focus on the ones who really want to do something," but I don't think that's the answer. Okay, folks, this one is long. So go grab your coffee or whatever you'd like, and sit back because it may take you a bit to get through this one.

Can you remember when you first started in this profession? I sometimes forget those days myself, and now that I am working with students on a daily basis I am constantly reminded. And with that reminder comes the reminder of the passion I have for what I do. I don't think we are engaged unless we are passionate about something.

If you haven't ever read the book "Halftime," I suggest you look into it. It speaks of how we spend the first half of our careers seeking success. We strive to become successful in our chosen profession. For some, that means making that line count that you've been struggling with for awhile. For others, it means getting involved in your professional association, maybe taking your CMT exam, perhaps getting that promotion you've worked so hard for. In AHDI, I believe that sometimes means that we begin as a member, just checking things out. Then perhaps we get involved in a local level, run for an office, serve there. From that, people often move on to their state associations. And some day, just maybe, you decide to run for delegate or even for the AHDI Board of Directors. For others, once you get into that office on a local or state level, you stay there forever. You love it, life is good. And then there comes a point where maybe something happens that we don't like, someone makes a decision we disagree with, or even we just simply get tired because we've been doing it way too long. And sometimes it's just that we have tried to take on so much ("nobody else will do it if I don't") that we can't do any of it well and when we fail (because, you know, MTs ARE perfectionists), we beat up on ourselves so much that we just give up. And, as we all know, tired people are often burnt out people. It happens in our lives in general, it happens in our work, and it even happens in our association.

The second part of the "Halftime" book speaks about the second half of our professional lives, the part after halftime if you will. In that part, what we seek is significance. When I first heard that word, I thought, no, no, I don't want to be significant! I've tried to be humble in my life and that word at first meant to me that I wanted to be important. But that's not what it means. It means we seek things to be involved in where we can make a difference. Things that matter. In doing that, we find renewed strength and energy, and yes, we can even find that passion again.

I have seen that in my personal life. A year ago, I was primarily managing production in my role at my job. It was okay, I had a great team, and I loved the people. Yet, was it truly making a difference? Well, yes, because I believe we created something great and a good place for MTs and I have always felt that was important. And yet, it began to feel like it wasn't all that it could be. And then we began our training program. At first, I must say, I resisted being totally immersed in training because it meant not being immersed in production. I thought I could just do both, after all, you do know I have that big red S tattoo'd on my chest, right? :) As we began to grow, it was at times painfully clear that it just wasn't possible to do both and that it was time to make some choices. And so now I am totaly involved in our training program. I have to tell you, I love it. Not only is it a great thing to be involved in, I see every single day how that program makes a difference in people's lives. I see military spouses, sometimes for the first time, truly feeling like they have a chance to have a real profession and not have to change jobs every time they get transferred. I see single moms believing they have a shot at making a difference for their children. I see them come in full of confidence, sure they can do this, and then they get that first "real" dictation and they think they have possibly made the worst mistake of their lives. And two days later, I hear that smile in their voice when they realize they have transcribed an entire day and didn't shed one tear and only left one or two blanks. THAT is significant! And that fires me up!

So what about within AHDI? I've always loved our association. I've been pretty involved, and I believe I have received more than I could possibly give back. Those who know me well would also know that in 1998 when I was president I was pretty sure that we didn't need a House of Delegates. I felt we were spinning our wheels and perhaps it was enough of a good thing. I was, simply put, not engaged in what the HOD was all about. Two years ago when the discussions began in the HOD about changing things and shifting focus, I remember seeing a spark of hope that this could be a real answer. Last year when I was approached about running for the Speaker of the HOD position, my first reaction was absolutely not. I couldn't do that, I had no time, and while I hoped it would make a difference, how could I be sure? What I did do was work on the committee that was talking about all of the restructuring of our organization. And what I saw was pretty exciting. And I did run for this role, and you elected me. This year's HOD was perhaps one of the most exciting ones I have ever been present for. If you weren't there, I'm sorry you missed it. The energy that came out of that room was amazing. There were passionate people, AHDI board, delegates, leaders, members, all of us together, working on a solid plan to really address what's important. Our celebration of leadership luncheon was simply a time to recognize all that each person has done and to say thanks, to recognize that it does take all of us, and to talk about how we can all begin to plan to pass that torch of leadership to someone else. If you were there, you know I spent most of that time with tears in my eyes.

So what do you do with all of this? First, think about what you're passionate about. And then, get involved in THAT project! Does that mean we will all agree? Absolutely not. None of us will always agree with every decision that is made, whether it is made by the AHDI board or the HOD, or even our own local and state leadership. I believe we need to come to an agreement to disagree sometimes and say that is OKAY. Find your passion and work in that area. Don't put yourself in positions that you really aren't passionate about just because "no one else will do it." Stop trying to do it all. Seek out those newbies in your area, get to know them, believe me, they will remind you of what it's like to be new and excited. And then, take them by the hand and mentor them. THAT makes a difference.

We are in the process of planning next year's committees and task forces. So, if you're not sure what's out there and want to explore those things so you can determine where you'd like to play, then let me know! There is a LOT to do and we can only do it together.

Kathy