Do You Have Missing Pieces?
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
The work I do now is different from what I used to do, and though I wouldn’t change it for the world, there are parts of my past careers that I miss.
Journalism offered me the ability to dig deep into both government and health care. I covered town and city officials, elected state officials, and sometimes, for specific issues, members of Congress. Learning how government worked was fascinating, and that included taxpayer-funded city departments, like police and fire, and what a learning curve that was. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than holding an elected official’s feet to the fire when they didn’t follow through, and as editor of the paper, that provided valuable material for the editorial writing that I loved.
No job is perfect
The downside to journalism is being submerged in the negative aspects of the world because that’s been the focus of the news for decades. We reported on what went wrong instead of celebrating the good that was being accomplished. Why? Because bad news sold papers. Sensational headlines atop the front page were designed to be enticing. That was what people saw when the papers were displayed in vending boxes on the streets, and on shelves beside cash registers in stores. Newspapers market what sells, and for the most part, that was and still is, negative news. Do I miss journalism? Yes. But not enough to tie myself up in the ugliness of the world every single day. Sometimes, it’s hard enough to watch the nightly news for just an hour.
If work is too stressful, move on.
Following journalism, I worked in an industry that I had reported on—health care. In physician relations and marketing for a hospital system, I marketed primary care physicians and specialists to the community, and connected specialists with primary care providers, so they knew where to send patients who needed more targeted care. I treasured what I learned about local treatments for myriad health conditions. I also learned that the health care system is a lot more complex than people think. It takes a village to keep a hospital afloat, and everyone worked far too many hours to make it happen. I did some physician recruiting, but my focus was more about retention. Making sure the customers of the hospital—physicians and the patients they referred to us—were satisfied. Are there aspects of that work that I miss? Of course. But not enough to go back to the grueling schedule and the resulting negative effects on my own health from constant pressure. I learned the hard way that cortisol is not your friend.
Life should be fulfilling.
Life goes on and things change, as they should, because we’re supposed to evolve and grow. As a massage therapist and Reiki master expanding into sound healing, I’m dabbling in healthcare, and I’m able to keep learning through the continuing education that’s required to keep my license and national board certification. And I’m still writing via my blogs and novels. In case you haven’t noticed, when I’m no longer able to stay quiet, you see aspects of my editorial writing within my blogs.
How about you? What do you miss?
My present life is a perfect mix because, as I’ve evolved, I’ve managed to incorporate some of the things that I love. As one door closes, another opens. I accept that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. And I’ve learned to embrace change and welcome what’s around the bend. Are there parts of you that you miss? Would you change anything if you could?
Until next time,
Jean
AKA The Strategic Chicken
-Making life’s journey one strategic step at a time.
