When To Focus And When To Rise Above

In many ways, last year was difficult year for Imagine!. In addition to the normal challenges we
consistently face, trying to navigate a complex system of funding and regulations that can make it difficult to deliver services that have a meaningful impact on the individuals being served, we were also hit by massive flooding in our area of service that inflicted costly damage on several of our homes.

But the point of this post isn’t to complain about the difficult year we faced last year. In fact, even during the height of the flooding, I was always able to acknowledge in the back of my mind that it could have been much worse. Yes, we had some damage to our buildings, but thankfully no one was killed or even injured. And many of our homes suffered no damage at all.

I find this line of thinking to be helpful to me throughout my duties at Imagine!. I find it very instructive to always be cognizant of the fact that it could always be worse. I mean that in a very sincere way – not snarky at all. I find that simple piece of knowledge (and I have always found it to be true in my life: no matter what challenges I have faced, either personally or professionally, it always could have been worse) allows me to take a broader view of any issue or challenge, and gives me the opportunity to rise above and look at the issue somewhat dispassionately. I’m not saying I have always taken advantage of that opportunity, but it exists nonetheless.

There are limits to this worldview, however. Especially in our field, sometimes you need to focus on the immediate issue or challenge and not look at the bigger picture. When an employee, or family member, or client comes to me with an issue or problem they’d like to discuss, they deserve my full attention. Whatever the issue is, at that moment it should be all that matters. At that moment, it doesn’t mean anything that there may be another employee, or family member, or client who has a much bigger or more complex challenge. At that moment, I must stay laser sharp and focused on the issue at hand.

The key is to know when to focus and when to rise above and look at the bigger picture. I’m not saying I am always successful at making that distinction, but I continue to work toward a better ability to know when each approach is appropriate.

I suspect that challenge exists for many of my co-workers at Imagine! and throughout our field. I can’t give you the perfect answer as to how we can always be successful at knowing when to focus and when to rise above, but I do believe that the more successful we are at making that choice, the more successful we will be in providing services to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Then again, what do I know?