Tag Archives: eddie sisco

Appreciate the good things

Posted on April 26, 2019 | 3 comments

Life goes in cycles. So does work and your career. There are good times and there are, , , well, let’s just say “challenging” times. We all experience it, and it occurs both professionally and personally.

My thoughts about all of this are that, “If things are good, enjoy and appreciate the good times because sooner or later something is going to disrupt it.”

Likewise, if things are going badly for you, hang in there because eventually your situation is going to improve.

How you look at a situation can make a big difference.

I could give you many examples of this, but I’ll share a current situation.

My family was recently in the hospital and a skilled nursing/rehab facility for just over 2 months (from February 10th thru April 12th).

Our son, Eddie, had a fall and broke his left elbow badly. The surgery to insert a plate and screws went very well, but he had major complications with a drug reaction to the antibiotics.

He got a severe case of what is called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. It’s really bad and can even be life threatening. Eddie had a very bad case of it. Look it up and you’ll see just how dangerous this situation is.

Should have been a 2 or 3-day stay after his surgery that turned into a 2-month ordeal. The worst part was that Eddie was in excruciating pain due to the rash and blisters that covered him from head to toe, , , it was like serious burns both inside and outside his body.

All of this is complicated by the fact that Eddie suffered a massive brain injury in 1993 from a car accident. His short term memory is very bad so when he has an issue, Dorine or I are always with him. Some might call this being “over protective”, but our reasoning is to insure those who are caring for Eddie always have accurate information, something he is not always able to give them.

We were finally able to return home just over a week ago and Eddie is improving daily so the most difficult times are behind us. Home Care nursing and physical therapy have begun to help him along. Eddie still has challenges but good times are ahead of us.

The reason I share this story is to emphasize the need to always look at your situation as a “glass that is half full”, , , not “half empty”.

This is hard to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal challenge or maybe a professional challenge you’re facing.

Staying positive is hard at times, but it’s important for you and those around you for you to be as positive as you can.

One of the things Dorine and I believe very strongly is that Eddie’s recovery from the auto accident 26 years ago was helped because we kept looking at “what can be” versus giving up when the doctors and nurses kept telling us he will never be able to do anything based upon the severity of his head injury. You only need to meet Eddie once to see he has far surpassed all of the expert’s forecasts.

My point – positive reinforcement does make a difference.

You also don’t have to look far to see a situation that is far worse than your set of circumstances. Believe me, our family knows this well.

So here is the thing that I try to reinforce with myself often and want to emphasize with you.

Learn to appreciate the good things!

If things are going well in your life and professionally, , , appreciate the fact that they are. Setbacks hit us all at one time or another so enjoy your successes and happiness that you are experiencing right now.

If you happen to be in the midst of a setback, , , try to stay positive. It will eventually turn around and get better. Plus, who knows, , , the positive energy you create might just help turn your misfortune around.

I believe challenges and setbacks build character. You can’t truly enjoy and appreciate the good times if you haven’t experienced a few bad times.

We don’t have “highs” without having some “lows”. The setbacks you encounter may actually change your life for the better. I have seen this with my own career (a story for another time) and with others.

So, keep your head up, think positively, and do good things that make a positive difference in other people’s lives. I think you will find that it repays you many times over.

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Posted in IT Manager Tips

Tagged eddie sisco, positive attitude

Positive energy creates positive results

Posted on August 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

I’m a big believer that positive attitudes create positive energy and those around you feel it. Likewise, negative attitudes create negative energy and people feel that as well.

I’ve always tried to look at the “glass half full” as opposed to “half empty”. It’s the same situation, the difference is just how you look at it.

When our son had his car accident in 1993 and we almost lost him, it was the most terrible experience a parent can go through, , , but Dorine and I kept looking and thinking about the potential, , , and not about the terrible challenges Eddie was facing.

Today, Eddie is 39 and still has physical challenges plus a significant short term memory loss problem. He can’t remember something that happened 30 minutes ago. But the upside is that his long term memory is intact and strong.

Eddie never has a bad day, , , something that is amazing to us considering his physical challenges and pain he deals with. But it’s true, he is the most positive person I know, , , maybe it has something to do with short term memory loss.

The point is that Dorine and I stayed positive and kept encouraging Eddie during the darkest of times. I could tell you dozens of stories that still give me chills of joy and some that caused grave concern at the time.

We believe our positive attitudes helped Eddie recover to the level he has and why he is such an inspiration to so many. Everyone who meets Eddie seems to be drawn to him because of his positive attitude, , , he truly has a special aura of positive energy.

Positive attitudes really do work. We have seen it over and over again in our personal and professional lives.

As an IT manager, it’s important for you to stay positive and to encourage others. Your attitude sets the tone in your organization. If you are not positive and positive energy doesn’t come from you, it’s very hard, if not impossible, for your team to be positive. It starts with you, , , never forget this.

Treat every day as a new day and a fresh start. Go into work with positive thoughts and look forward to the challenges that will come up today. Remember, if there weren’t challenges and problems, they probably wouldn’t need you and your position in the company.

Positive energy is a contagious thing, , , create positive energy and watch others respond to it.

Best of success

Happy Birthday, Eddie

Posted on November 23, 2010 | 8 comments

Do you believe in the concept that “things have a way of working out in the long run”?

Even when an event seems like the most terrible thing that might happen to you?

We are big believers in it because we have seen it in our personal and professional lives, , , many, many examples.

I also believe that a lot has to do with your mindset and how you look at things. For example in past posts and articles, I’ve mentioned the idea of looking at a glass as “half full” or “half empty”.

Our son Eddie turns 34 today. Forty days after turning 16, he had a terrible auto accident. He was driving the car by himself (thankfully) and driving too fast in our neighborhood. His inexperience caused him to lose control of the car when he entered a sharp curve too fast.

The car flipped and he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Eddie’s life and ours changed dramatically in those few seconds and continues to impact our lives on a daily basis.

Some would say, “Oh my, what a tragedy!” or “What a loss!”. Certainly, Eddie can’t do some of the things he did so easily before the accident. And if you know of his story, you know he has had to relearn everything all over again.

Things like learning how to drink and eat, , , how to talk, , , how to walk, , , even how to sit up in a chair on his own. Dorine and I remember the day in the hospital when he was able to put a baseball cap onto his head by himself. It was a major breakthrough.

Bigger yet was the day he was being observed by his Neuropsychologist, and I asked him to throw a wadded up piece of paper into the waste can. Eddie picks it up slowly from his tray and flips it toward the waste can. She was ecstatic and explained how complex it was for the brain to hear a command, recognize it, and then actually respond and do what was asked, , , especially with a brain injury as severe as Eddie’s.

Today, Eddie’s communication skills are very good. He can do many things on his own but he will always be with Mom and Dad for the support he needs. His hand/eye coordination is excellent, , , he wins Solitaire and Wii games much more than Dorine or I can. Being able to watch a baseball game with him and discuss it intelligently with him is such a big thing, , , it was many years before we were able to do this.

The big issue is that he’s happy, , , and so are we because he is still with us. Doctors told us he wasn’t going to make it and if he did, he would be a vegetable, , , not able to do much of anything.

Boy, did they miss that one !

I tell you this story for the positives that have come out of it, , , not to make you feel sorry for Eddie, Dorine, or me. The point is that a terrible thing can happen to you in life, , , but how you deal with it and what happens after is still up to you and what you make of the situation.

In our case, we kept looking forward and thinking how great it was that Eddie was able to put that baseball cap on his head by himself. Little things became big positives to build upon in our lives in those early recovery days.

My Dad was there that day and it broke his heart I was told later. You see, he was focused on the negatives of the situation and feeling sorry for Eddie while Dorine and I could only see the positive progress that had happened, , , all about how you look at a situation.

There is another reason I wanted to share Eddie’s story. If you have teenagers who are learning to drive, you might want to share his story. More details are at www.eddiesisco.com. When we are young, we think nothing bad can happen to us, , , but that’s obviously not the case. Eddie was a very mature teenager, always did well in school, liked by everyone, , , but he made a mistake while driving that car on January 2nd, 1993 that almost took his life and certainly changed his life forever.

We would give anything if the accident had not happened, but we are so thankful we have Eddie around to make life interesting and fun. He is very funny and takes no prisoners, , , if you have a weakness, he finds it and exploits it by jabbing you, , , all in fun and with a positive sense of humor. He definitely likes picking on Dad, , , and we are all so thankful he can.

The biggest gift of all is that Eddie makes everyone around him feel good because he is such a positive person, , , a real inspiration we think.

Tonight, we will all go to dinner with friends to celebrate Eddie’s big birthday, and I promise it will be a fun and memorable experience.

Look for the positives in life and try not to dwell on the negatives, , , hard to do at times, but the results of staying positive and looking for the possibilities of what can happen can be pretty amazing.

So, , ,