Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel infinitesimally small? A moment when you feel so devoid of self-confidence, that you compulsively hunch over to make yourself even smaller? A moment when you feel no power as a nurse?
Well, I can explicitly recall one of those very moments.
Own Your Power
It was a few years back at the very beginning of my Nurse Coaching practice. I was surrounded by people who looked to me to help transform their health and wellbeing.
However, I was at a conference surrounded by hundreds of individuals who I perceived to be more successful than myself.
As I listened to their incredible stories – their aspirations and the way they’ve impacted others – I became crippled with envy and fear.
I felt infinitesimally small.
So, I dipped out of the conference and I called one of my mentors. I immediately broke down.
In a moment of compassion, she gave me exactly 90 seconds to vent and wallow in pity before she paused and dove straight into the heart of the matter.
“Peter, everyone wants to be healthier. There are so many people who need your help. So many people you could support. You have an incredible service to offer, and so much knowledge and experience…
Stand in your power as a nurse,” she said.
It’s one of those lines that has reverberated in my mind throughout the years.
And now, I offer it to you.
Avoid The Nurse Trap
As nurses, we can fall into the trap of allowing our hands to be bound by protocol and fear.
We often stay quiet because we don’t want to stir the pot.
What is the result of withholding inquiry and truth from our patients?
What happens when we continue to operate as an automaton?
What happens when we forget how powerful we truly are?
Well for starters, our patients may continue to suffer because no one invited them to take an integrative, whole-person approach to their healing.
And for us practitioners, we experience a moral injury. Are the following feelings familiar to you?
- You know you should be doing more that could truly serve your patient over the long-term, but your tongue is tied.
- You leave your shift feeling as though you should have taken those 3 minutes to ask your patients what they wanted in their healing experience.
Flip The Script
It’s time to flip the script.
Here’s my invitation to you:
- Don’t settle for mediocrity.
- Know how valuable you are.
- Remember how important your work is.
- Stand in your power as a nurse.
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