I was sitting in a conference today struggling to keep my focus as the "food coma" started to set in after lunch. I was losing track of nursing history when the conversation took a turn as the question was posed:
How do you define nursing?
It took me a minute. The speaker continued to talk about the art of nursing and the beautiful profession that it is.
How many of us recognize the value in nursing, in what we do every day?
What a powerful question. To me nursing is the ability to meet people where they are each and every day and provide care for not just the physical, but also the emotional, and spiritual aspects of the person. "Cura Personalis" as the Jesuits would say...
This conversation lit a fire in my heart. I absolutely love what I do and feel blessed to be able to say that. I enjoy going to work each day, love the people I work with, and feel privileged to have the knowledge base to practice in the world of healthcare, but it's really easy to lose sight of the purpose that connects me back to this.
How often do you roll out of bed to the mundane tasks of the day? Maybe behind a desk, a paper that needs to be written, a presentation given, proposal created, work published, food served, meeting attended, one more patient to see...
How many of us chug a few cups of coffee each morning to "get through" what we have to do to pay the bills and just survive until Friday (or if you're a nurse, your next string of days off)?
What lights a fire under your butt? Seriously?! What gets you excited to get out of bed? What makes your heart happy? What makes you smile? What do you live for?
Use this each and every day to reconnect to your purpose. Each one of us has special gifts that are utilized in different ways. How can you use your gifts each day to motivate you through the hard times and focus your energy on positive, life-giving things?
I pray each morning that God uses my hands and feet to do His work. This reminds me why I do what I do.
Write yourself a sticky note on your mirror, put it on your coffee cup, or set a reminder in your phone to remind you that you are amazing, wonderful, and can make a difference in a small way each day by showing up and being present. Every day you have something to offer. Don't let a day pass you by without giving it your all in whatever it may be that you do. Make each day, moment, and interaction purposeful and see how it changes the way you see the day. Reconnect to why you do what you do.
Make your ordinary extraordinary.
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