A few months ago I had the privilege of attending a three day gospel festival at the Crystal Grand in WI Dells. One of the talented groups was Ernie Haase and Signature Sound. They shared the song “Keep On Keeping On”. I remember how moved my soul was listening to those lyrics and thinking to myself in that moment that nurses really need to hear this message right now.

We all deserve and need a time out sometimes. Several things come to mind for me when I think about this topic. Today, however I am going to focus on two ideas. First, we most definitely need a time out when we are emotionally triggered. More on this in a bit. Secondly, we unquestionably need to take a time out from the daily grind of our multiple roles and responsibilities.

What do you need to start saying yes to? Historically, nurses are givers, we give and give and give some more, often at the expense of ourselves. Many of us tend to give until we are thoroughly depleted and totally exhausted. Then sprinkle in the demands and stress that the pandemic has brought into our lives.

The purpose in our life is our why. What is important to us? What are we meant to do? How are we supposed to be impacting the world? Our heart knows the path. Unfortunately, our brain gets in the way. Part of the journey to refueling our heart is always staying connected to our why. The place that is meant for us and for our intrinsic gifts to come forward to impact the world in the way that only we can.

The choices you make today impact your tomorrows. Humans make a 1000 choices or more in a day. Unfortunately, many of these choices are made on your brain’s automatic pilot. Now is the time to become more intentional with your choices.

Many of us find ourselves triggered at least daily because of someone else’s behavior or often when we find ourselves in a difficult situation of any kind. I have a quick tip/solution that I would like to share with you. Ready? When triggered immediately change your perspective by adopting the just like me thinking. Within seconds of doing so you will often feel a shift to bring more compassion and empathy to the situation before you.

As a nurse one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is the gift of reflection. Yes, you heard me right reflection. Taking the time to reflect gives you the opportunity to grow personally and professionally through every experience that you encounter.

Truth is, intentions equals results… but requires us to take action steps. Some have heard of the saying energy flows where attention goes. Intentions require attention. This time of year, many set resolutions saying things like… “this is the year I am going to lose weight and get healthy”, “I intend to spend more time on personal growth”, “I intend to stop procrastinating and wasting time”, “I am going to declutter my house”, or whatever the case may be

As nurses saying no is often one of the toughest things we need to do. Saying no to an extra shift, an extra project or committee function brings with it often the burden of guilt. Oh the heaviness of guilt is unbearable to many of us, which results in saying yes when our heart really knows that we should be saying no. As nurses, we are the ultimate givers. We give and give and give some more at the ultimate expense of ourselves. On top of this some of us are people pleasers or have an over...

Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” When one is experiencing gratitude, true gratitude the heart is full. There is nothing else that is missing or desired in that moment. Gratitude in itself is a blessing because it opens our heart and helps us experience true heart centered living. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life, the practice of mindfulness and an opportunity to reflect on the abundance of being alive…tr...