What's your capacity to face problems in your pharmacy?

Here is an interesting question to consider: how many languages can a child learn? If you are anything like me, you may think that one language is all you can handle. (And barely one in my case.)

But we know that not to be true. We know of people who know more than one language. You may even know someone like this personally. 

What about three? The old song says that three is the magic number. Is that the limit to the number of languages we can learn? Upon consideration, we will find that the answer is no. NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo can speak at least six languages. 

Some people can even create a completely new language. Take J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien references several invented languages in his Lord of the Rings, and he even developed two of them into actual languages! 

The truth is there is no limit to the number of languages a child can learn. In the right environment that youngster will learn them all. But how do we make sense of this? After all, most kids I know can only speak one language, maybe a second if one parent was from another country or the child is schooled in other languages. We can make sense of this when we realize the limit is not on the child, but on the teacher. A child doesn’t lack capacity. A child lacks teachers.

Can I share a secret with you? 

I am a child – an old child. Yes, on paper I am labeled as an adult, but in my heart, I am still a child. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you. When our family goes to Disney World for vacation, there is one person in our house who is just too excited to sleep: me!

My guess is that you can identify with me in some way on this topic. You are likely a big kid about at least one thing in your life as well. 

So let me say this directly to you: You do not lack capacity. Let’s take this a step further. Repeat after me, “I do not lack capacity.” You may need to repeat this to yourself multiple times throughout the day. 

You may be wondering why I am reminding you of your vast capacity. It comes from a conversation I accidentally had this morning. 

I ran into an old friend who is currently a district supervisor for several pharmacies. After a bit of small talk, I asked how things were going and how her team was holding up. She went on to describe a bleak situation. She shared the realities she was seeing. Staffing shortages, increasing demand for services and in many cases a demanding and ungrateful public to serve. While I hope this description is foreign to you, I suspect you are all too familiar with at least some aspects of this situation. 

In the next breath, she went on to say that there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight.  Her comment reminded me of a sign hanging in my local post office years ago that declared, “Due to budgetary cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.” 

This sounds like a time of discouragement. This sounds like a time of limitations. 

But let me remind you: you and I – we are big kids. And we do not lack for capacity.  What we lack are the teachers. What we lack are the people and ideas that will expand our capacity. 

So, the big question for the day is: Who is teaching you to expand your capacity so you can cope with the problems that come your way in your pharmacy?

Until next time –

Jesse McCullough, PharmD

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