Happy February! It’s Blog Post #30 and lots to share. This year did not start well. First, I got the deadliest affliction known to humans….the dreaded man-cold! Then, I discovered that the first article I ever published is no longer available on-line as the site seems to have been shut down. Then, I received multiple writing rejections on multiple fronts. Somehow, it’s all good though.

A weird thing can happen when you put yourself out there into the world….Rejection! Learning often comes after criticism, rejection, and disappointment though. I’ve recently been learning my freakin’ face off. With that said, it is the risk-reward of putting yourself out there and it must be done if life is to be lived optimally and on your own terms.

Humour in Hell

Did you read “Humour in Healthcare 3”? If you didn’t, you missed it. I withdrew the post from my workplace blog after receiving an e-mail about some ‘concerns’. Questions about the appropriateness of the content were expressed and for that reason, I did volunteer to have it removed. While I don’t agree and feel that the jokes are both funny and appropriate, I fully understand that a health organization must closely monitor and scrutinize content which represents their policies, goals, and mission. All names and identifying features are removed/changed when talking about patients and often the stories are, in fact, completely made up. I was not going to write for my workplace blog anymore but then I had a change of heart. This was a learning opportunity. I was initially very disappointed and my ego was hurt. With a little time, the ego healed and perspective came back. Instead, I decided to re-write the post, removing the controversial stories/jokes, and putting myself out there once again. Check it out here: http://vchblogs.ca/humour-healthcare-3-2/

Action

Next, I contacted a healthcare website (Confident Voices in Healthcare) and explained the situation with my first written article and asked if they would publish it. I received a resounding “yes” and am proud to say it’s back up for people to read (complete with the proper punctuation this time and a bio of the author….love that author!) Check it out here: http://www.confidentvoices.com/2018/01/24/sylvia-moreau-a-nurses-story-life-affirming-message/
Thank you to Beth Boynton for seeing the value of this article and publishing it.

I took this photo of Phewa Lake in Pokhara, Nepal in 2013.

Published!

It’s not all criticism, rejection, and disappointment. If you keep fishing, you’re eventually going to get a bite. I recently had an article published at ‘Blake Writes’, a new Men’s Lifestyle Blog looking to break away from the media’s idea of normal and mainstream. Blake Writes looks to cater to a more broad and diverse audience of men. I hope to write more articles for Blake Writes in the future. You can read my article here (please note that this was not the title I wrote):
https://www.blakewrites.com/articles/time-to-turn-up
My title was “Have Your Drink…..and drink it too”.                                                     *Note: Many people, including myself, have had trouble reading this article on their phone or IPad as one side/margin is cut off. It works best on a laptop or desktop computer. I have contacted the administrator to inform him of the problem.

San Francisco Bound

In less than two weeks my wife and are going to San Francisco, California, U.S.A. We’re looking forward to a short get-away (1 week), seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Napa Valley. We’re also going to watch our beloved local hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, as they play the Sharks in San Jose. There should be some travel writing material acquired and hopefully an article to share in the near future.

Words of Wisdom

1. Don’t let rejection or the fear of rejection stop you from taking action towards your passion and worthwhile pursuits. Here are the choices:

A. Take action and have success.

B. Take action, fail, and then learn.

C. Take no action and ensure no success.

2. Sometimes you just have to work on the project even when you don’t feel like working on the project. Jocko Willink – “What do I do when I don’t feel like hammering on the project?….I HAMMER on the project!” I’ve been really trying to H.O.T. P. (hammer on the project) more often and consistently. I hope to continue hot ‘p’ing and you should too.

It’s time for the ending jokes. These are not for millennials and may in fact not really be for anyone. A lot of people won’t get them….but when has that ever stopped me from posting them? Enjoy.

My wife’s cousin recently said, “Every time I hear the song, ‘Foxy Lady’, I always think of Dana Carvey as Garth in Wayne’s World doing the little finger-ears and mouthing, ‘Foxxxxy’……. ‘Ladyyy’. He hasn’t come up with anything new for a while.”
I responded, “That’s because he’s dead.”
“He’s dead!? I didn’t know that.”
“He died in 1970…greatest guitarist ever!”

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My wife recently asked me, “What should we do first when we get to San Francisco?”
I said, “First thing I have to do is send a message on Twitter that says, “Rice-a-roni”.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a San Francisco tweet.”