What is the first thing that comes to your mind, if I ask you about the meaning of the acronym CPR? In my case, I associate it with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, which is an emergency maneuver in the event of a cardiac arrest. This must be due to the biases I have, such as being the son of a doctor, my age, the recent event experienced by a childhood friend, a teacher of Safety and Health at work, etc. However, I propose on this occasion to associate these initials with Responsibility, Patience, and Perseverance.

In this regard, in any circumstance of our lives, be it personal, family, professional, etc., all without exception, we must deploy CPR in our actions and I mean acting with responsibility, patience, and perseverance.

If you have read my last articles, in them I shared that my two oldest daughters, starting in May, will live alone in Buenos Aires. They, along with their pet, will reside on the first floor of a housing complex, made up of 4 blocks of three floors each and six apartments per floor. For this reason, two days ago they gave us the internal rules of coexistence, which consists of 12 pages. This document details all the duties and obligations that the residents must fulfill. This surprised my daughters, aged 21 and 18, and they said: “A lot, you went too far.” Faced with this attitude, I reminded them that their new reality will confront them with unwanted situations, but that they will have to be tolerant of them, without getting upset or angry, and always act for their new neighbors. In addition, they must be constant (disciplined) in the new obligations that independence brings with it, such as doing things themselves, the market, cleaning the apartment, and their university studies, among others.

Extrapolating this brief story to the current reality that each of us is experiencing in any field, I am going to share some reflections with you.

• We must do a “refresh” of the value associated with responsibility and the virtues associated with patience and perseverance.
• Responsibility is not only fulfilling obligations, but also assuming the consequences of our actions.
• Patience is tolerating a setback, whatever it may be, but without getting upset or angry.
• Last but not least, perseverance is associated with willpower (being persistent, insistent) to always move forward and thus overcome difficulties.

At this point, I must make a confession on my part: I have a permanent struggle with patience and getting angry.

To finish this article, I am giving you some quotes associated with the subject.

• Responsibility is a gift that you give yourself, not an obligation. (Dan Millman, American-Former athlete, world champion, martial arts master).
• Obedience and patience are the best science (Popular saying).
• It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop. (Confucius, Chinese philosopher)

So, what do you say? Are you willing to practice R.P.C. in any facet of your life: responsibility, patience and perseverance and spread it to the people around you. It won’t be easy, but it’s worth it. Always keep your spirits up. Keep rowing, against the current!