Month / May 2018

by tracymauro

Don’t be a squirrel.

Ok, so…. When I saw this, it made me laugh. But it made me think, too. Could our lack of decision-making actually be a lack of faith in the fact that God is still God if when we don’t make the best decisions?

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who ‘worry their prayers’ are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” –James 1:5-8 (The Message Paraphrase)

by tracymauro

Pain, Purpose, and DESTINY

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” –Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message Paraphrase)

by tracymauro

Do you DIALOGUE or just TALK?

You may want to look up the #TedTalk, “Why #SocraticDialogue should become our #BusinessCard” by Sira Abenoza on #YouTube and take a listen

https://lnkd.in/dfG8_dJ

Really good stuff!

In life and in work, are we actually dialoguing or just talking?

There’s a difference.

If we want to #dialogue, we have to trust and #OpenUp. This seems to be in opposition to so many other #BusinessModels teach. But it may very well be the only one that works!

by tracymauro

Let Love Lead

So… I’m typically not into the whole Royal Wedding thing.

I believe our culture’s fascination with pomp & circumstance, celebrity, and fame causes us to miss out on encounters with the everyday amazing in our own hometown.

That being said, it really was an amazing ceremony!

Preach!!!

In our families, communities, and careers – it’s time to

Let love lead the way!

by tracymauro

Passivity MUST Go!

What I am NOT talking about here is #planning, #evaluating, rest, or any other type of #PurposefulPause. But what IS on my heart this morning is a strong sense that a #SpiritOfPassivity is attempting to dominate our culture. If this spirit is allowed to persist, it could absolutely paralyze our future. We cannot allow this to happen!

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” -The Apostle Paul, Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (The Bible, New Living Translation)

“Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious. Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? ‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.”-The Apostle Paul, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 MSG (The Message Paraphrase)

by tracymauro

How to Drive Continuous Improvement

Great principles for work and for life!

I’m reading a couple books by Eliyahu Goldratt right now and would highly recommend anything he has written!

These principles are most definitely applicable to my field of healthcare quality and patient safety.

I had a family member ask me what Patient Safety is in an attempt to understand what it is that I do. When I explained to him that death numbers from complications related to errors in health care are right up there with cancer and car crashes and that my work revolves around improving processes to make care safer, he replied, “Oh, I thought maybe Patient Safety Officer meant that you stood outside the hospital elevators to make sure patients had seatbelts on!” 🙂

Oh, sometimes I wish it were that simple. But principles like this can make keeping patients safe much simpler!

Principles on #DrivingContinuousImprovement

Based on #TheGoal by #EliyahuGoldratt – #RecommendedReading

•#MeasurementsDriveBehavior

•#SeekAnswers

•#Teamwork

•#NeverGiveUp

•#WorkSmarterNotHarder

•#Improve the overall #system, not just the individual parts

by tracymauro

Seize the Day!

As I flew back from Atlanta this weekend, I realized that I have been in 7 different states (Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, California, and Georgia) in as many months.

Some of that travel was for difficult things like being at my Mother-in-Law’s bedside as she transitioned to Heaven. Other trips were for adventures like my first Interim Nurse Leadership assignment or hiking trips with a dear friend. Other journeys provides much needed reconnection with family I have seen much too infrequently over the years: my Dad, my sisters, nieces and nephews, and most recently some awesome cousins-by-marriage during my trip to Atlanta.

I have worked hard at my current assignment in Virginia while doing phone interviews during lunch breaks to see where God wants me next. The few weekdays off I have had have been to fly to on-site panel interviews. Each step of the way I have seen God provide for my husband and I and even grow our relationship through the increased intentionality (planning trips to see each other and long reconnecting phone calls) that a successful relationship across distance requires. Along the way I have reconnected with old friends and made new friends.

I had someone say to me recently, “I don’t see how you do it – how you keep up the pace and do all you’re doing. Aren’t you tired?”

Sure. I get tired at times… Exhausted at times, actually. But those times are countered by the fact that this whole recent whirlwind-of-a-journey has actually been quite invigorating. You see, I have done more intentional, purpose-driven living during the past several months than I have in decades. I would do it all over again and I am not planning to stop anytime soon. Every moment is a gift and it’s time to make the most of each one. It’s time to Seize the Day.

All these thoughts have thrown me back to a song from the 1990’s by Canadian singer/songwriter, Carolyn Arends. Check out the awesome lyrics below or checkout the song on YouTube by clicking this link

SEIZE THE DAY

I know a girl who was schooled in Manhattan

She reads dusty books and learns phrases in Latin

She is an author, or maybe a poet

A genius, but it’s just this world doesn’t know it

She works on her novel most everyday

If you laugh she will say

Seize the day, seize whatever you can

‘Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand

Seize the day, pray for grace from God’s hand

Then nothing will stand in your way

Seize the day

Well I know a doctor, a fine young physician

Left his six figure job for a mission position

He’s healing the sick in an African village

He works in the dirt and writes home to the cynics

He says “We work through the night so most every day

As we watch the sun rise we can say

Seize the day, seize whatever you can

‘Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand

Seize the day, pray for grace from God’s hand

Then nothing will stand in your way

Seize the day

I know a man who’s been doing some thinking

He’s as bitter and cold as the whiskey he’s drinking

He’s talking ’bout fear, about chances not taken

If you listen to him you can hear his heart breaking

He says “One day you’re a boy and the next day you’re dead

I wish way back when someone had said

Seize the day, seize whatever you can

‘Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand

Seize the day, pray for grace from God’s hand

Then nothing will stand in your way

Seize the day

Well one thing I’ve noticed wherever I wander

Everyone’s got a dream he can follow or squander

You can do what you will with the days you are given

I’m trying to spend mine on the business of living

So I’m singing my songs off of any old stage

You can laugh if you want, I’ll still say

Seize the day, seize whatever you can

‘Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand

Seize the day, pray for grace from God’s hand

Then nothing will stand in your way

Seize the day

Songwriters: Carolyn Bernice Arends

Seize the Day lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol Christian Music Group