I’d like to share a short excerpt from my most recent book, ‘Your Next Shift‘ (for full book page, click here). I’ve decided to share this part of the book with you today, as it is so relevant to all of the shifts that are occurring in healthcare. I hope this helps you, wherever you find yourself along the journey of your nursing career.

I recently received an email from one of my teachers, Dr. Robert Anthony. In the email, he mentioned one of the reasons that many of us fail to reach our goals. He wrote about the way we set goals and how we perceive our success around whether or not we reach them. According to Dr. Anthony, this actually sets us up for failure.

Instead of judging ourselves based on whether or not we have successfully obtained a goal, Dr. Anthony encourages us to look at how far we have come. This becomes such a beautiful gift, one that can surely propel us forward.

Recognize how far you have come within your nursing career. Think back to your very first day, maybe even before that. Think back to nursing school and the tests you had to pass to become a nurse! You have accomplished so much within your nursing practice. You have achieved many goals and have come a long, long way. You know more now than you did a year ago. You know more than you did an entire career ago.

When you are OK with where you are currently at, you are able to celebrate everything about you and then exude that energy out into the world. Other people can see, feel and even experience this confident and clear individual. They will desire to be around you, wanting to work with you and engage in your presence. You will literally attract the right people, experiences and situations to you.

So, think about yourself and your current nursing career. Let’s even take a real life example here. Say you are in a job that you don’t really like. You want to do something different, so you’ve been putting your resume out all over the place. The longer it takes to find a job, the more frustrated you become. You start to doubt yourself and your ability and everything about finding a new place to work. You may even begin to dislike your current job more and more as you get irritated with the job search process.

Well, what does this do to your chances of finding new work? That’s right! It kills them.  Here’s another real life example and while it may not be about a nurse, it certainly applies here.

My husband lost his job one fall awhile ago. He came home from work during the day, which was not usual for him because he worked in heating and air conditioning, so the majority of his day was spent driving from appointment to appointment.

            Well, that day I knew something was wrong. He was home at 10 am and the van was nowhere in sight. When he came in the house all he said to me was: “I’ll talk to you later.” His face was red and I could tell he was really, really upset.

            I gave him a moment and then went out the garage. He was unloading all of his tools and equipment from the driveway into the garage. “I lost my job today.” That was that. Now, in the moment, at first I was in a state of total shock. Then, it moved into some quick worry and then something happened that was monumental.

            My husband came into my home office and said to me: “What’s done is done. Instead of focusing on the bad; I am looking at this as an opportunity. I wasn’t really happy there and I bet I can get an even better job.” And he was right.

            In less than two weeks he had a better job; closer to home that provided him with a substantial raise. We were both beyond thrilled and it only gave me further validation that worry and fear don’t move us forward in uncertain situations…

I’ve spoken and written on this point many times in the past, so I won’t overdo it here. But, in brief it is important to note that we cannot change the past. We cannot control things outside of our power. Just as my husband did in the example above by choosing to approach his current career circumstances with an open mind, he realized that the energy he brought to his job hunt would definitely impact his chances at finding work (and fast).

Again, be OK with where you are at in your current nursing role. Everything happens for a reason and maybe you are in the role that you are in to learn something in particular. Maybe you are there to teach or give something to another being. There is a reason why you are working or not working where you are at in this current moment.

Be patient on the path to forward progress. Recognize the growth behind you. When you can accept where you are at now and are able to celebrate everything about it then you exude that energy out to those around you.

If you’ve enjoyed the lessons in this excerpt, please consider getting your copy of ‘Your Next Shift‘ here: https://elizabethscala.com/landing/yns-book/.

About the Author: As a speaker, workshop facilitator, and Reiki Master, Elizabeth partners with hospitals, organizations, associations, and nursing groups to help transform the field of nursing from the inside out. As the host of the Your Next Shift Workshop, Elizabeth guides nurses and nursing students to a change in perspective, helping them make the inner shift needed to better maneuver the sometimes challenging realities of being a caregiver.