The nursing profession can be a tough one and your nursing career can get on your nerves from time-to-time. I’ve been there, just as many of you out there have too, wondering if a career alternative in nursing is what I want (and need).

It’s been cold here in Maryland. So cold that, as I was walking my dog, I realized I had written a post on perspective in the winter some time ago (check that article out here). The point in that post that reminds me a bit of today’s is when I got in from a brisk walk with my dogs and thought to myself ‘Invigorating!’

After breakfast today, my husband Drew and I sat in our living room relaxing. I have a lot of indoor plants all over the house, most of which are in the living room / dining room area. As we were sitting there, I started to question if each plant was in the right place. This then led me to totally redo where each of the plants ‘live’.

I wonder if we can approach our nursing careers with the same perspective shifts. If we are having trouble with our job, can we approach a situation from a different angle? If we dislike our current position, how can we view our issues with a novel eye?

Yes, I do agree that sometimes the only thing left is a career change. On the other hand, that may not be the right option. A change just may take our own perspective shift and looking at things in a new way.

Here’s another example for you: I am obviously a nurse blogger, right? Well being in many nursing groups, things like nursing writing groups, nurse blogging groups, nurse entrepreneur groups- there is a tendency to judge my success against what I hear and see others doing. For instance, we were asked to share how many page views we receive per day. I started feeling pretty deflated when I found out that I was among the nurse bloggers with the fewest page views. And then my coach reminded me of something: it’s quality, not quantity.

Sure, I may have less page views than another nurse blogger. And I also have a really active community that shares a lot of insightful and meaningful comments. (Thank you, by the way.)

So if you’re not totally enthralled by your nursing profession right now, can you wipe some gunk out of your eye and see things through some new lenses?

I’d love to hear from you. What challenges have you overcome by seeing things in a ‘new’ light? What other advice would you add to the above and how can you fully enjoy your nursing career?