FIGURE
The passion in my bones has gotten me into many fun, exciting, challenging, and scary places. As 2004 rolls around, it is a good time to look at the goals you have set for yourself. I have used the occasion of my yearly evaluation to look at last year's goals and plan for the next year. How do you know when you have "arrived" if you don't know where you are going?
I was asked to meet with some consultants who were looking at designing prevention services for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services. My total joint program had been successful, and they wanted to discuss it with me to see how it had evolved and how we implemented the program. During the conversation, Max looked at me and said, "What would you REALLY like to do and get paid for doing?" I thought for a few minutes, and I honestly answered that no one had ever asked me that before! I liked what I was doing. I liked being a staff nurse, charge nurse, and case manager. I liked being a waitress and nurse aide. I liked what I had done in the past, but what would I really like to do...hmm.
After the meeting, I couldn't get the question to leave me alone. For 6 months it kept popping up, usually in the middle of the night, when those nagging questions you would rather not face sneak up on you. One day I was teaching a large class of patients in the pre-op total joint class that I had been doing for years. That was it! I loved this kind of education! I loved talking to people and doing lectures. My life changed! My goals became obvious. I looked for every opportunity to speak. I studied under the local PowerPoint "Queen" to learn the technology. I even gave a how-to-create-a-PowerPoint presentation one year at Congress. I made time to submit proposals by the deadlines. I offered to use my lunch hour to do osteoporosis talks for several groups, pretty much anyone who would listen. I gave presentations at various meetings on numerous orthopaedic and nursing topics. My passion for speaking even took me to Hong Kong with Dottie Roberts. We were asked to present to Hong Kong nurses at the annual meeting of the Asian Association of Dynamic Osteosynthesis (AADO) in 1999. I would not have been qualified, had the experience, or taken the time to pursue it had it not been for the decision to do what I love! If you find your passion, your goals become clear. Setting priorities is much easier with specific goals you are passionate about.
What would you REALLY like to do? I hope that question give you a few sleepless nights if you haven't answered it yet.
Your NAON renewal is on its way to your mailbox. It might get mixed with the holiday cards, catalogs, or the other bills. If it is a priority, if you are passionate about being an orthopaedic nurse, it won't get lost, filed, or piled. Your congress information won't be far behind (and what a program we are preparing for Nashville!). I am trying to get the executive board members to all be Elvis impersonators at the party, but they aren't buying it...yet.