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| By Sean Riley - President & Founder Safe Call Now® |
You’ve all heard the saying before… “Sin City”… “Anything Goes”… “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas”… I’m not sure about that but I do know it is
the city where I got married, where I got my first opportunity to Keynote and
that I’m here about 10 times a year.
This is a city that can be cruel, it can bankrupt you, tear families
apart, it caters to all addictions known to mankind and will chew you up and spit
you out and laugh all the way to the bank.
Almost a metaphor for the first responder profession. We eat our own!!!
It’s a city of all or nothing. First responders can kind of be an “all or
nothing” type of population. We work
hard and we play hard, always has been the mantra. That work hard and play hard attitude can
push us to the extremes. I lived on the
extremes through 23 years of addictions.
It was a horrible way to live, either in total fear or total bliss.
I had always strived to get somewhere in the middle and the only
way I knew how was through self-medication.
Whether it be alcohol, narcotic pain medication, working out, over
spending or anything else I could latch on too.
I remember once that a Captain pulled me into his office and
told me that either I had the best of days off the charts or the worst of days
off the charts compared to anyone else.
I got results and that’s all they were interested in. He also told me that they let me run on the
razors edge and when I fell off to the other side they would pull me back and let
me run all over again because I produced, boy did that feed my ego. At what sacrifice, definitely at mine but I
made them look good and that’s all I cared about.
Family, personal relationships, balance in my life… I didn’t
care because it was all about ego for me.
Every case I took on I made it personal instead of just doing my
job. The extremes… didn’t work very well
for me. I try to no longer live life
on the extremes anymore. I strive to
remain in the middle and balanced, I actually get better results and peace of
mind.
First responders, you’re in a noble profession. To run into a burning building to save a
life, or run towards the gunfire when the rest of the world is running away
from it doesn’t require an “all or nothing” attitude. You are highly trained and you will always do
your job. Maybe it’s time to change our
attitudes… You’re a human being first
and a professional second. Your job
doesn’t define who you are as a person nor should it. When life gets out of balance for you
remember we at Safe Call Now® are here for you 24/7… Nationwide!!!
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