Monday, March 7, 2011

Let the Force Be With You

Star Wars, a New Hope, was on today. What a great film. Classic good versus evil, strong female character, adventure, excitement, lovable heroes. People in my household have seen it and its 2 sequels many times. Shockingly (to me), my daughter has friends who have never seen a single episode of Star Wars. So, when someone says to them, "Let the Force be with you," how could they possibly know what that means? [OK, perhaps I should amend that to "when I say, 'May the force be with you...'", but that is likely another blog, or therapy session...]

Actually, it is a great phrase. It means listen to yourself and trust in yourself. Honestly, how great a message is that?! Of course it could be applied to any situation, but it really can and should be applied to those situations of high stress or anxiety.

Sometimes we fret over a strict following of instructions, or feel compelled to do something in a certain way because that is the way everyone is supposed to do it. However, there really are times when we should make our own judgments and do what feels right. That is NOT to say you should always just "wing it," or fly by the seat of your pants! In fact, training, training, training are the 3 most vital elements of not only surviving, but surviving well!

The point is to trust yourself and others to come together to do what needs to be done. This is particularly true in times of emergencies. Those responding to emergencies need to unite as a team with a common purpose. With all of our training, we know our roles, and where we reside in the chart, but we miss the point if we only see the chart and not its purpose. The training should certainly give one the flavor, but let you give it shape. You set aside your egos and the “that ain’t my job” attitude and do what’s right.

So, when something happens that is bad or frightening, it’s OK to be scared or confused. You just need to remember that you can do what needs to be done. Just trust in yourself and your team (family, friends, coworkers) and let -- well, you know what I’m talking about -- guide you.

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