GelO News December 2014

Seasonal Thoughts
The period following Thanksgiving up to New Year's is typically one for reflection, and although my family and friends have scarcely used the word "typical" in describing me, I suppose in this case it would be accurate. As I look back over 2014, it sometimes surprises me - so much has occurred. We settled in after our move from Florida to Denver, met with old and new friends at ISS in Canada, got to present at the European Seating Symposium and exhibit at RehaCare in Germany. We introduced several new GEL products this year, including the beginnings of a line forshower chairs. Perhaps most exciting is Robo P.A.W.S.- the first of it's kind in the world programmable automatic weight shifting system and it is ours. I also wonder if we're doing as well as we can. I know our newsletter has been well received by many of you and the free samples and fitting kits seem to be a big success, but I can't help but think we could be doing even better. I'll be reaching out to you next year to get your feedback on that question with a lucky surprise for some of you. I look at some of our new products, like the Raised Toilet Seat and have been gratified at how well they have been received, but can't help but feel we need to do a better job at "getting the word out" about them. Always a challenge for a small (albeit dedicated) group, but we're always up for a challenge. As I look forward to 2015, despite the many trials that healthcare faces, I have a great sense of excitement. New products, long term partners and new partners,and new markets are all in the pipeline. I have every hope that as I sit and muse this time next year, there will be much joy to talk about. Lastly, I want to express by gratitude to all of you, whether you buy our products or not, for your dedication to your craft and the clients you serve. We are all better because of what you do.
A new slant on New Year's Resolutions
In my experience, the folks who really adhere to New Year's resolutions are typically the folks who seldom make them...at least not on any specific day of the year. Rather, they make a decision to change something in their lives when the need for change presents itself to them and they respond accordingly. For the rest of us, making a vague promise of "being better" - losing weight, calling relatives on a more regular basis, developing patience with the marginally competent people we encounter on a daily basis - start out with a total commitment and then fall as flat as two week old ginger ale. So, if you REALLY want to make some changes in 2015 (and I mean that you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to) here's a new approach you might try. Make a monthly commitment. Take out that 2015 calendar and on the top of each new month, write down one thing (and I mean just ONE) that you'd like to work at on that month. Rather then promising to exercise, say, I'll get a pedometer and for one month, I'm going to record how many steps I take each day. Do it for the month. If it works and you want to make it part of your routine, that's great. If it's not practical then modify it or forget about it. A year is too long, too far out. It's really easy to lose focus and energy. A week is too short if you're trying to develop new habits. A month in Goldilock terminology is "Just right"! It gives you enough time to really try something out; to see if it's what you wanted to be doing or something you just idly thought you might like to do. Which is the second point in this program. Choose items that really matter to YOU. Maybe, "take the time to go out with my sweetheart to a movie every month" doesn't SOUND as IMPORTANT as "get in shape for the 2016 Olympics", but what matters here is YOUR joy and happiness. Don't let that get muddled up with someone else's notion of what you should be doing. Or to paraphrase my incredibly wise older sister, "Do what you want to do, NOT what you want to want to do." And BTW, have a really happy New Year and a truly glorious 2015.
David