Centralight

René Revis Shingles: Old-fashioned life lessons still We often practice the hands-on skills of athletic training. Students will practice one time and they're done. I'll say, "Really? You only need one time to practice?" And they'll say, "Practice makes perfect." Actually, no – perfect practice makes perfect. They'll put an ace wrap on, but they won't tape it at the end. You won't learn how to do it right if you don't do it right all the way through. "I live by phrases my mother used to say: 'Kill them with kindness.' And 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.'" It's a metaphor for life. When you're learning something, do it to the best of your ability, every time. That crosses over into the work world. You'll be good at a skill if you've done it over and over and over again, the right way. That crosses over into your personal life, with relationships, too. Those take work. You can't do something once and expect that relationship to have meaning. Not that we're perfect people – we're not. As a woman of faith, I know that God is perfect, but we are not. But striving for it, that brings success. 16 centralight fall '13 I see success in multiple ways. At the end of the day, have you accomplished the tasks you wanted to accomplish that day? Have you done what God has called you to do? If you've done that, and you've tried to live in a good way, that's success. I live by phrases my mother used to say: "Kill them with kindness." And "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." If you do that, that's success. You hear people say, "Treat people the way you want to be treated." I say treat them how they need to be treated. As a woman, I may need something different than a man. As a heterosexual person, I may need something different than my lesbian sisters. As an African-American, I may need something different than someone who is white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American. And that's not just for patients in health care. If you work at a bank, how do you treat the person who comes in to cash a check? If you're in business, what do your customers really need? Remember that we're all human and start there. Treat people with respect and kindness. If you make a faux pas, apologize and ask, "How can I do this better?" You don't know what their experiences have been leading up to their encounter with you. Educate yourself about the demographic where you live and work – the race, the gender, the socioeconomic situation. Educate yourself about the individuals you're likely to be interacting with. My mother also used to say, "Can't nobody take care of you like you." You have to be able to take care of yourself. Not that you can't rely on others, but you need to take care of your physical health, your spiritual health, your mental health. If you aren't where you need to be, you can't help others. I want my students to be happy, to enjoy life. To take advantage of every opportunity that life affords them. To find balance – that's important – balance in their personal and professional lives. I want them to take time for themselves. To take care of themselves so they can enjoy their life and their families. And, as Mom always said, "Leave it better than you found it." • René Revis Shingles is director and professor of the athletic training education program and author of the book, "Cultural Competence in Sports Medicine." She has been at CMU for 21 years. She and her husband, Stan, have one son, Lamar, and a grandson, Jayden. As told to Terri Finch Hamilton

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