Happy New Year🎊

In alignment with the current social trend for the new year, I’m also going to participate in the 2024 Ins & Outs. But, The Nurse Edition. This is my collective wish for us….

Outs

• Doubting my intuition and not seeking the evidence to support it
• Being afraid to communicate my thoughts to the provider
• Rushing in the AM/PM before my shift
• Not drinking my water throughout my shift
• Ignoring my needs as a human because my shift is busy
• Staying in a job that is draining my soul
• Doing OT when I’m exhausted
• Eating foods and snacks that aren’t healthy and sustainable
• Complaining about things I have the power to change
• Disregarding my boundaries to be more likeable
• Speaking negatively about my abilities as a nurse
• Not delegating because I don’t want to be perceived as incompetent
• Participating in mean-girl activity so I can feel included in the culture of my unit

Ins

• Trusting who I am and what I have to offer as a nurse
• Knowing my power and using my voice to advocate for my patients
• Taking my time in the AM/PM before my shift to cultivate an experience of calm
• Keeping my water bottle close by so I can stay hydrated
• Staying in tuned with what I need throughout my shift and giving myself that
• Leaving any position that doesn’t align with what I desire for myself as a nurse
• Saying no to OT when I know I’m physically, mentally &/or emotionally worn out
• Eating foods & snacks that fuel my mind and body to think clearly and feel energized throughout my shift
• Addressing the things that are bothering me that I have the power to change or removing myself from the situation so I don’t continue complaining
• Honoring my boundaries and having the self-respect to say no even if that bothers other people
• Speaking life and power into my skills as a nurse and taking the time to grow in the areas that need my improvement
• Delegating where appropriate during my shift and knowing that is a necessary part of my job and does not speak to my abilities to be a competent nurse
• Knowing that true belongingness occurs when I am being my absolute self and that cliquey mean girl behavior only creates further division and less teamwork on my unit

& these are just a few. The journey to being our best selves starts by putting one foot in front of the other. Moment by moment. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes experiences that help us see ourselves and it takes a commitment to self-awareness to make those changes. And self- awareness isn’t just about things within ourselves that need improvement, it’s also about the things external to us that don’t support who we want to be. It’s knowing how we interact with those things and how those things make us feel and what we do about it.

This year I wish for us the ultimate glow up. Glow up into the most beautiful and impactful versions of ourselves. To be the nurse we desire. The one who goes after everything on our hearts. To be intentional about where we’re headed. To live in the truth of who we are and the gifts we have to offer the world. To be unapologetic in what makes us unique and special and to walk in that fully.

My desire for you is to make yourself proud as you journey another 365 days around the sun.

Matthew 5:16 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Happy New Year!

Love,