(Preface: My last several posts have all highlighted the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center values of Honor, Nurture, Excellence Trust and Empathy. While I know Accountability is the next value that is supposed to be highlighted, I’ve decided to skip ahead to Mentorship because I believe this message is crucially important to share.)

Every morning before the command group starts its working day one of our medical center chaplains shares a thought of the day with us in order to help the medical center leadership focus our attention on our mission of caring for the patients we serve. This morning our chaplain, Capt. Jason Unsworth, shared an amazing and profound quote by Marianne Williamson titled “Our greatest fear” from her book A Return to Love. The quote reads:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make and manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Religious affiliation aside, I believe this quote strikes the heart of an issue that is common for many people. It is not the fear of failure that keeps a person from succeeding, but rather the fear of succeeding that stops them from ever attempting to achieve success. We worry about standing out in a crowd. We worry about how we are viewed by our peers. We live in fear of setting a standard that is so high that the work or contributions of those around us may inadvertently look less significant. We are so concerned about fitting in that we sell ourselves short – never fully reaching our true potential and never really understanding the positive impact we could have – not just on ourselves but on the world around us as well.
While we are all very different and distinct individuals, we will all face challenges in our lives. However, I argue that adversity should not be viewed as a roadblock, but instead as an opportunity. We should not cower in the face of challenges – we should embrace them.  We must grant ourselves permission to reach for more, to expect more and to give more because if we have the ability to be great we have the responsibility to do something great. When faced with difficult situations where the easy road is a little too tempting we must remind ourselves that the challenging road – while demanding – will ultimately be more fulfilling.

So I challenge you to also take a moment every day to reflect on your own personal values, morals and goals so that you too can face the day focused on your mission and the lives you will touch. Then liberate yourself from the fear of success. Act with courage. Live to your fullest potential. Believe that you are smarter, better, and more talented than you have given yourself credit for in the past. Make a difference in the lives of those around you and teach them to see their full potential so that they may also be liberated to believe, achieve and succeed in their goals.

PDS

Col. Patrick Sargent

Serving to heal…Honored to Serve

“Compassionate, World-Class Healthcare—One Patient at a Time”