Tactical Living

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision that you knew would make people around you mad at you? There are ways to make tough decisions faster. I have found that by staying true to my values and knowing with certainty what is most important for those that I care about the most, the difficult decisions became nonnegotiable. This couldn’t have been clearer than when I was faced with the decision of having my own father reevaluated for dementia. Although some may not agree, I know that I am closest to him and have identified that something has to be done. 

Whenever I am asked, I always tell people that my husband is a police officer. Never did I know what police officer deals with on their shift until I went on a ride along with my husband’s police department. Having the ability to witness my husband work as an officer allowed to understand the difficult job that first responders face each time that they clock in for work. There is no limit to the amount of diversity that a police officer faces while at work. By having a ‘go to work with your spouse day,’ I now have a new appreciation for what my husband does for a living.

Whenever I am asked, I always tell people that my husband is a police officer. Never did I know what police officer deals with on their shift until I went on a ride along with my husband’s police department. Having the ability to witness my husband work as an officer allowed to understand the difficult job that first responders face each time that they clock in for work. There is no limit to the amount of diversity that a police officer faces while at work. By having a ‘go to work with your spouse day,’ I now have a new appreciation for what my husband does for a living.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) reports that “1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental issues in a given year.” Could you imagine what it would be like to not know if the voice that you hear is the real one speaking to you or one that only you can hear? I used to think that I understood what it meant to say that someone is crazy. It wasn’t until I went on a police ride along with my husband’s police department that I experienced individuals with mental health issues first-hand. My witnessing psychotic episodes in person, I have a new appreciation and level of empathy for people who suffer from any degree of mental health illness.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) reports that “1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental issues in a given year.” Could you imagine what it would be like to not know if the voice that you hear is the real one speaking to you or one that only you can hear? I used to think that I understood what it meant to say that someone is crazy. It wasn’t until I went on a police ride along with my husband’s police department that I experienced individuals with mental health issues first-hand. My witnessing psychotic episodes in person, I have a new appreciation and level of empathy for people who suffer from any degree of mental health illness.

For most of us, at some point in our lives we will have to face the death of a parent. Losing your parent could very possibly be one of the hardest things that you will ever experience in your life. Have you ever considered which is worse: watching your parent age or not getting to watch your parent get older? If you have ever had to deal with one of these (or both), then you understand how your entire day-to-day changes. I have one expert tip that has helped me with dealing with both of these.

For most of us, at some point in our lives we will have to face the death of a parent. Losing your parent could very possibly be one of the hardest things that you will ever experience in your life. Have you ever considered which is worse: watching your parent age or not getting to watch your parent get older? If you have ever had to deal with one of these (or both), then you understand how your entire day-to-day changes. I have one expert tip that has helped me with dealing with both of these.

Many professions have an unwritten rule about rising above and over-delivering. For some, it becomes normal to go above and beyond in the workplace and in daily living. There are typically two different avatars for this: one is a person who performs such acts without ever expecting anything in return. The second is the type of person who carries out such good deeds with the expectations of gratitude and praise. It is in the way in which you accept or expect such praise that makes all the difference.