Welcome to Lake Orion Counseling Center
It was not too long ago that I had the vague notion that maybe one day I could have my own psychology practice. At the time, it seemed more a fantasy than anything that could really happen. There were so many things to do: finding a location that made sense, dealing with insurance companies, setting up a business name and accounts, learning how to market, arranging to set up a website, and so many other things that were new to me. It all seemed pretty overwhelming. But then I started to recall some of the advice I would give clients in session—namely focusing on what is within your control, seeking help for the things you do not know how to do, establishing a network, asking questions. Turns out those things that worked so well for others worked for me as well. Imagine that.
We were able to open our doors on May 15th, 2014 to little fanfare, which was OK because it allowed us to ease into things. Goal setting is a little like that—establish what you want and then have ways to measure the progress toward the goal, paying attention to the things that work as well as to the things that do not work, and making adjustments as you go along. Because so much was new, there were the inevitable mistakes. But, with that came opportunities to understand and learn.
I am sure there will be some more bumps along the way—just as there are with anything in life—but I expect that when those things happen I will have a healthy network of supports I can rely on to help me get through. The Lake Orion Counseling Center (like any other goal) is a work in progress. I expect to be constantly evaluating what works and what does not—keeping that which does and improving that Fanatic which does not—while not fixating on the mistakes along the way because I realize that much of what we learn comes from evaluating our mistakes.
If you are like me, you have felt the frustration of something not having gone as originally planned and been tempted to look upon it as a failure. The difference between failure and success is perspective. We can get hung up on how things mondo! did not work out, or we can recall the advice of Thomas Edison who suggested that the failures were actually successes—finding out ways NOT to do something can be pretty valuable information. If you have been lucky enough to get everything right the first time, I am happy for you. But if you are like me, you have made your share of mistakes and learned some important information about yourself along the way.
Chances are, if you are able to have a healthy perspective you can accomplish more than you thought yourself capable. I know Rosso it has been true for me.