The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Med Journal Feb 2019 Final 2 | Page 5

COMMENTARY Sandy Johnson, MD C ongratulations to all of us. We are so blessed to practice the best vocation in the best state in the best country at the best time in history. We should all be overjoyed and feel an attitude of gratitude. Every year since we opened our clinic (Johnson Dermatology), we celebrate a month of gratitude in November. This month of gratitude is my favorite month of the year. We talk about ways to show gratitude for the people and things in our life for which we are grateful. I’m writing this commentary during the month of November and feel honored that I am given this opportunity to write an extra commentary for all of you for the Feb. 2019 edition of our great journal – The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society. What a great month February is — the days are get- ting longer, love is in the air, and spring is right around the corner. Life is great, and we have so much for which to be grateful.  I know I personally feel better when I choose to perform a random act of kindness, pay it forward, or say thank you.  I’m currently reading a book on gratitude. It was given to me by my wonderful life part- ner/husband, father of our wonderful children, and business partner, and it’s called Thanks a Thousand: a Gratitude Journey, by A.J. Jacobs. The author states that he is generally a grumpy person with a good life. In order to more fully appreciate life, he has decided to “fake it until he makes it” when it comes to gratitude. He even shares the quote, “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.” So, he challenges himself Thank You! to thank every single person involved with pro- ducing his morning cup of coffee. The book is very short and has an associated TED talk. It is truly transformative in my opinion. One may take for granted their morning coffee. However, if you stop to think about every person involved with getting you that coffee, it will make you appreci- ate the coffee even more. Throughout his jour- ney, he realizes that there are an insurmount- able number of people to thank, so he limits it to thanking only 1,000 people. During the journey, Jacobs also learns that people with an attitude of gratitude tend to be kinder to others. He also learns that an attitude of gratitude creates a happier, kinder, and more meaningful life for the person and the people around the person. It is an upward spiral. I know I personally feel better when I choose to perform a random act of kindness, pay it forward, or say thank you. I would like to challenge each of us to share an attitude of gratitude with others. I bet it will pay off in so many ways. I bet we all feel better. I bet we help others feel better. After all, we have all chosen careers in medicine to help others. This attitude of gratitude will help us feel better and hopefully help our pa- tients feel better. We all know that a healthy attitude also helps our mind, body, and soul to be better.   The toughest tasks in our clinic are an- swering the phones and working the check- in and check-out areas. If these people feel grumpy, patients who interact with our clinic may also feel grumpy. If we providers take time to thank these team members, they may feel happier and treat our patients with more kindness; in turn, patients may have better clinic experiences. This will make us happier, too. It is an upward spiral. If you expand that thought process out from our clinic into our whole world — wow. Think about how much happier our world would be if we all took time to show gratitude. Not only will our coffee taste better, but our entire world will seem better.    Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Thank you for being you. If I get the privi- lege of seeing you, remind me that you read this article. I would like to buy you a cup of coffee and talk about all of the people and things for which we are grateful — including all of the people in- volved in getting us that great cup of coffee. Until then, stay skintastic! More Than Healthcare, Correct Care Solutions. WHO WE ARE CCS is a national public healthcare leader caring for underserved patients in correctional settings, psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities. Opportunities for: Physician Locations throughout Arkansas Full-time, part-time and PRN available Comprehensive Benefits • 401K Tuition Reimbursement Competitive Compensation • So Much More... Empathy Compassion CALL TODAY OR APPLY ONLINE Chris Phillips [phone] or email [email protected] ccs.careers NUMBER 8 CCS IS PROUDLY AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER FEBRUARY 2019 • 173