Sometimes when I hear the word ‘nurse’ or see our nursing profession portrayed by the media, I get this image of a martyr stuck in my head. While part of the issue is that the public may not entirely know what nurses do or the vast majority of nursing careers out there, another aspect deals with how we position ourselves.

I have seen posts on social media glorifying the fact that we are able to ‘hold our pee’ for a certain amount of time. Or that we can work twelve hours shifts without lunches. This is not something to be proud of people. And yes, while it exists… Remember:

[Tweet ““We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.” -Buddha”]

So, instead of portraying ourselves as -and that means in terms of how we think, feel, speak and act- martyrs… let’s try this on for a change. Let’s articulate, express and even show up as heroes. Renee Thompson shares an example of this in her book ‘Celebrate Nursing: Humans by Birth, Hero by Choice‘.

So today being a Tuesday, I thought this was only fitting. Now you can do this any darn day of the week, trust me. It feels really, really good to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments. So, go ahead. I give you permission to Toot Your Own Horn.

I’ll start and then I want you all to join me in the comments below.

I got onto Facebook today, to open up to a really pleasant surprise. A nurse colleague of mine, Nurse Practitioner Dr. Rachel Silva, was all over Facebook with the upcoming news of our podcast. You see, she interviewed me after reading my book, ‘Nursing from Within‘ and decided that it was one of her favorite reads of 2015. Yes, I am well aware that the year has just begun… but it’s the small wins, people. (JK; I am totally thrilled by this honor.)

Since I am so excited about her upcoming show- and I know just how good her podcast is in general (it’s professional, timely, informational and fun) I have to share with you the information of her show. Not just so you can listen to her and I talk about my book (which you better tune in for that too), but because I want you to bookmark and start following her podcast. It’s really that good.

OK, so here’s the part where I want you to think of something to say that celebrates yourself. Don’t leave me hanging here. Go ahead and get un-shy (is that even a word?). All of you readers out there, stalking the site…. now is your chance to speak up! Go ahead and leave a comment below. Toot Your Own Horn.

How can you celebrate yourself today? Please share…