The John Tesh Blog

Saving Your Life With a Sewing Machine

A brilliant surgeon passed away this weekend:  Dr. Michael E. DeBakey (1908-2008).  The Los Angeles Times correctly dubbed him a 'magician of the heart.'

Sample what this talented doctor accomplished in his lifetime:  he performed the first coronary artery bypass surgery, developed the pump that is the key component of the heart-and-lung machines used on patients during heart surgery, created the artificial heart now used in patients to keep them alive while they wait for their own heart to improve, and developed the concept of the mobile army surgical hospital - forever to be remembered in the film M*A*S*H. 

If a surgeon was ever needed to perform heart surgery on a U.S. president Dr. DeBakey was the go-to surgeon. The Journal of the American Medical Association said many considered him the 'greatest surgeon ever.'   

In everything I read about this physician one event stood out.

In 1948, Dr. DeBakey joined the Baylor College of Medicine and began to explore theories and surgical techniques for repairing and replacing diseased arteries.  He was most fascinated with repairing aneurysms in the aorta - dangerous bulges in the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Usually, the aneurysm was removed through surgery.  However, something was needed to replace the tissue or else the aortas would shrink.  DeBakey searched for a solution.   

According to the LA Times the doctor visited a Houston department store with the intent to purchase a synthetic cloth made of nylon or Orion.  Yet on that one day the store only had in stock a new material called Dacron.  DeBakey bought a yard of this material instead. 

Going to work on his wife's sewing machine, he fashioned the fabric into tubes the same size as blood vessels and successfully implanted them in animals.

Oddly enough, unlike other materials the body did not reject Dacron and tissue seemed attracted to it. On September 13, 1954 he sewed the Dacron graft into the first human patient who lived another 13 years. 

Literally, thousands of lives have been saved because of the Dacron graft replacement for aneurysms of the aorta and other major arteries. 

What is it about DeBakey that speaks to us?  His genius lies in his willingness to think outside the box.  Here's a man who could even challenge the medical thinking of Dr. House, of the current hit TV series.

Dr. DeBakey was not afraid to think through the perceived limitations and to take the necessary risks to save lives.

I'm at a juncture in my life when I want to sit down at the sewing machine and turn the ordinary materials of my life into something extraordinary. Whether it's giving out gas cards or providing mobile homes to people who lost their houses in Katrina, I love opportunities to think outside the box when I can. 

From DeBakey's experience we learn life boils down to sitting down at our sewing machines and using our sewing talent to turn what we've been given into something better.  Too many people reject passion-filled lives and grab on to every reason why their lives can never change. 

Instead, keep the image of DeBakey sitting at his wife's sewing machine before you.  Rather than thinking why your life can never change, consider the transformation that took place because this doctor visited a department store in order to repurpose a piece of fabric into a product that would save lives.

There's little reason why you can't use the fabric of your life, and refashion what you've been given to make a change in someone else's llfe.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth contains many chapters on how to take care of your heart.   The book can be purchased at your favorite local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Help For Those Who Can't Be On Time

For some people, showing up on time for a job interview, a dinner, a doctor's appointment  or a wedding is nearly impossible.  For those  who know what I'm speaking about, you feel you're always running out the door in a frenzy and running behind. 

Let's think together of the repercussions of showing up 10 to 15 minutes late to important destinations.

Know the Consequences of Showing Up Late

• Being late adds to your stress level.  When you barge into a meeting behind schedule, you've infuriated the other attendees waiting for you . . . and you've put yourself in a stressed out mode.  It should be no surprise to find that when you're late, you spend your first few minutes apologizing to the other participants and make them feel obligated to catch you up to date on the topic of discussion.

• Being late tears down your reputation.  If you're chronically late, your co-workers or friends may feel they cannot trust or rely on you.  Your relationships may suffer as people are fearful of making plans with you.  Some individuals who are suffering with chronic pain and illness are in a different category as they do need extra time to be on time to an appointment.  To make matters worse, rarely can you salvage your reputation by working later hours.  Employees who are tardy are less likely to be promoted.

Check Out the Reasons Why You're Late.  You may not like the reasons why you're usually running late, but you must face the truth.

• You're a risk-taker. Admit it . . . you like the thrill of leaving for your destinations at the last minute. You relish the rush of racing down the freeway, using shortcuts and making it to your location at the last second.   According to a New York Times article, the risk-taker is also known as a deadliner since he enjoys the adrenaline rush of the sprint for the finish line. Oddly enough, people who are deadliners are also optimistic.  They believe they can pick up  their clothes at the laundry, make a deposit at the bank, buy groceries and drop off the kids at school in an hour.   Now that's optimistic . . . but it's also a set up for being late.

• You don't want others to control you.  Some people grew up in a home where lateness was never tolerated. Now as adults, they're rebelling against authority. They don't want others to try to run their lives by telling them to be on time.


• You slack off on your organizational skills.   There are individuals who cannot pull it together.  They have poor organizational skills. They struggle to pull together a schedule and often fail to calculate how long each of their tasks will take.  They need help in organizing their lives and their time.

How Do I Stop Being Chronically Late?   

• Decide you no longer want to be late.    Spend time figuring out why you're late using the reasons I gave you above. But then start building time back into your life.  Leave an extra fifteen minutes early for an appointment and bring a book or an article you can read while waiting for your appointment. Reward your promptness with something you enjoy reading.

• Clock how long it takes you to do certain tasks. The New York Times claims we often underestimate the amount of time our activities take by 25% to 30%.  Therefore, figure out how long it takes you to do your tasks and plan accordingly.

• Never plan to just be on time, but plan to be early.  Build in extra time when you know you'll be in transit because unexpected delays can take place. Plan to get to your destination early, not just on time. Be considerate when you're running late; if you know you are going to be late to a doctor's appointment or to your hairdresser, call ahead to see if they're running late as well. It may remove some stress you don't need to carry.

• Reward yourself for being on time.  Spend time with a book or some to-do items while you're waiting for your appointment.

John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

For more information about on-the-job behavior, read my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase my book at your local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Getting The Career You Really Want

Imagine landing your ultimate dream job.  Maybe you'd rather settle for a dream interview instead?

NotchUp, a new startup company, is offering a service where employers pay hundreds of dollars to people they would like to interview.  One catch:  you have to be seriously looking for work not just a quick buck.

So do you need help in changing your career?  You're not alone.

According to What Color Is Your Parachute? by author Richard Bolles, many employees will go job hunting at least eight times in their careers.

Where do you start?  Your best resource is complete honesty with yourself.  From Poynteronline.org we are given several questions to ask in order to initiate an honest self-evaluation:

    •What are your top 10 priorities for your personal life and career?
    •What work would you be happy doing?
    •What are you good at that will give you a sense of satisfaction?
    •Where do you really want to live?
    •Are you willing to move?  How far?
    •How much money do you need to make this move work for you and your family?

If you can't figure out what career gets you excited, try the Triple "I" test from the Los Angeles Times:

Interview people who know you.  Friends, colleagues and relatives are your best resource.  They have insights into vocations that would fit your personality and can see the marketability of your skills

Investigate jobs you think would suit you. If you're thinking about working as a journalist, set up an information gathering appointment with a newspaper journalist and ask questions about working in the publishing field.

Intern to test your perceptions. Internships are not only for college grads. Many companies will take on unpaid workers for special projects. For those interested in journalism, ask a journalist if you can shadow him for a day. 

Other sources for career searching are your local bookstores.  Any bookstore will offer rows of self-help books for career planning.  What Color Is Your Parachute?, revised annually, is still a best seller.  Here are some other classic titles: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Changing Careers, The Vault Guide to Schmoozing, and Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be.

The subjects covered in these books run the gamut from careers in radio broadcasting, financial planning, fashion design and book editing.

Another endless resource is job search sites:  http://www.monster.com and careerbuilder.com and Poynter Career Center.  These sites offer free assessment tests, articles on how to compile a hot shot resume and job training tips.

These job search sites will send you emails listing job openings that fit your resume specifics and job profile.

A final resource not to be overlooked is career counselors.

If you're willing to do the homework and hit the pavement, a career counselor can be an inexpensive investment to get you moving in the right direction for a career change.

Some counselors are an awesome network for knowing people in an industry you're bent on entering.   

For those changing careers at an older age, career counselors can show you how marketable you are: technological skills, leadership abilities and accomplishments from your past employment.

Make a career change an adventure.  Use everything you've got and everyone you know.

John   

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Don't forget. My new hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth is now on sale. You can purchase a copy on line by visiting Barnes & Noble.