Making 2015 Your Best Year in Pharmacy

A new year provides an opportunity to reflect on your past, evaluate your current circumstances, and dream about your future opportunities. One of the best things about life is that we can have a new beginning if we are willing to accept change, make sacrifices, and delay immediate gratification. Many individuals are not willing to pay this price, but those who are can make a fresh start.

Recently, I found myself at home trying to recover from the flu. The day before I went to my physician’s office to receive the official diagnosis, my local newspaper included the headline, “Thirty People Died from Flu Last Month.” The article described how the young and old were most susceptible. Since I am part of the “old” category, my flu diagnosis led me to briefly consider my potential vulnerability. The flu took away the energy I usually have, and it was easy to feel like giving up.

As providence would have it, I tuned into a televised church service. When I’m feeling vulnerable, I, like many, become more spiritual. Despite how I was feeling physically, “going” to church as I normally do on Sunday mornings made sense. I watched 2 services, which prompted me to ask myself, “Can I make 2015 the best year in my pharmacy career?” This is my 54th year as a pharmacist, and I found myself rejuvenated by the question and, more important, by the opportunity to make 2015 my best professional year.

The message in the first service was based on the premise that the mind is the “control tower” of your life. The preacher said that if I think differently, I will act differently and even start to look different. That led me to this idea: our professional success is determined by how our minds think about pharmacy. The preacher then offered a series of questions to ask ourselves about the thoughts we have. I share the following challenge with you to make 2015 our best year in pharmacy: “Do I really understand the opportunities that pharmacy offers me, and am I willing to change my thinking, if necessary, to be all that I can be as a pharmacist?”

The message in the second service was based on the question, “What is the wise thing to do?” Based on your past experiences, your current circumstances, and your hopes and dreams, what’s the best thing you can do in your current situation? I reasoned that if I took the time to address this question before I make a professional decision, I could make 2015 the best year in my professional life. And you can, too. A wise man once said that an unexamined life isn’t worth living. This statement is also true regarding professional matters. If you are willing to examine your professional life from these 2 perspectives, I believe you can make 2015 your best professional year.