Be knowledgeable.
Maybe it’s the weather … overcast and dampish … but today as I’m writing this -- “be knowledgeable” means “don’t be ignorant”. Back in the day, I loved being a clueless kid with no cares in the world. Ignorance was bliss. Now, I know things. And it keeps me up at night.
It's been said that knowledge is power. If you combine knowledge with grace, experience, humility and compassion, it can change the world. We do it in healthcare all the time. We know stuff. We sometimes make people’s lives better, and sometimes we - the holders of the knowledge - have to impart the truth. And sometimes the truth hurts.
The truth right now is hard. Even though we are busier than ever, we are hurting financially. As we dig into why we are losing money, we become more knowledgeable. This is not a fun journey, but we’ve been on it before and because of that, we know what we have to do -- we’ll face the truth … again.
The quest of “being knowledgeable” tests your mettle. Mettle means “the courage to carry on*”. In tough times (WWII) the British would say “Keep Calm and Carry On”. In spite of the war and the bombings, they rose above. And they persevered. With knowledge, we will persevere.
*song by fun. (2012):
'Cause we are, we are shining stars
We are invincible, we are who we are
On our darkest day when we're miles away
So we'll come, we will find our way home
If you're lost and alone or you're sinkin' like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground, and
Carry on
