Monday, October 29, 2018

Are You Feeling Spooked by Nursing?

Are you feeling spooked by your nursing career? It's Halloween week, and it seems natural to examine our careers for skeletons in the closet, ghosts that haunt us, and old stories that just don't fit anymore. Are you ready to dive in and see what we can see?

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

 The Ghosts That Haunt You


Are there ghosts that haunt your nursing career? Are there patients, colleagues, errors, or miscalculations that still populate a painful place in your mind and heart? Are there things from the past that cause you emotional, psychological, or spiritual pain?

Sometimes we need to let go of the past in order to move into the future. The ghosts that populate our psyches can trip us up, keep us from our dreams, and otherwise hold us back. Sure, we all make mistakes and missteps, but the real skill and magic is in letting the past go.

This is a ripe time of year for releasing those old tapes and removing those old ghosts from their lair.

Skeletons in the Closet




Are there skeletons in your nursing closet that, like the ghosts that haunt you, need to be shown the door? Those skeletons can really trip you up, especially when they're the kind that will do their best to hold you back.

What skeleton still lingers in your nursing closet? How can you let him or her go?

The Fires of Release



At this time of Halloween and All Hallow's Eve, we can play with fire, say hello to our dead, and burn our regrets, memories, and ghosts in the fires of forgiveness.

Are there things in your career that you need to release to the fire? How can you let go even more so that you're open to what's next for you?

We nurses juggle so much in our lives. If you have to juggle some fire in order to let it all go, maybe it's worth the risk.

Be A Child Again



Nursing can be serious business, but what if we were to be like children again, and look inside our hearts for what really makes us come alive?

In your career, perhaps it's actually high time to restore your naive, innocent curiosity about this thing called nursing.

What do you want to learn? What are you curious about? What lights you up? What's truly fun for you? How could you make this career enjoyable again?


Make an Altar to Your Best Nursing Self



Whether you make a literal altar, or simply an altar in your mind, perhaps it's an auspicious occasion to reexamine the soul of your nursing career. Why are you doing what you do? Who are you as a nurse? Where are you going? Where have you been? Who and what do you wish to become?

Embrace this time when the veils between the worlds are said to be thinner. Allow yourself to dream as you envision the future of your nursing career.

Have fun, release the ghosts, kick the skeletons out of the closet, and feel a sense of renewal of your career and of your identity as a nurse.

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Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known nursing blog, Digital Doorway. Please visit his online platforms and reach out for his support when you need it most.

Keith is the host of The Nurse Keith Show, his solo podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses. From 2012 until its sunset in 2017, Keith co-hosted RNFMRadio, a groundbreaking nursing podcast.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century and Aspire to be Inspired: Creating a Nursing Career That Matters. He has contributed chapters to a number of books related to the  nursing profession. Keith has written for Nurse.com, Nurse.org, MultiBriefs News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline, StaffGarden, AusMed, American Sentinel University, Black Doctor, Diabetes Lifestyle, the ANA blog, NursingCE.com, American Nurse Today, Working Nurse Magazine, and other online and print publications.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, keynote speaker, online nurse personality, social media influencer, podcaster, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives, and his adorable and remarkably intelligent cat, George.

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