Did I go down a path that I truly will
be happy with? Is this what I really want? What is it that I really want again?
Why did I decide to go to nursing school? Thinking back, I wanted to go to
nursing school b/c I was seduced by the idea of working 3 days a week, doing
something to help others, making a difference, have good pay, and be able to
travel through travel nursing, this idea of making a good living, helping
others, and freedom that attracted me to go through nursing school. It seems
like there are a few key concepts here that I value: helping
others/contribution, freedom to pursue other things that interest me with my
time off and good money made. Positive contribution towards helping others,
making the world a better place, and freedom. Freedom from a job that ties me
time-wise. Freedom from a job that restricts when, and how often I can pursue
other interests, whatever they may be, ranging from adventure, to DC’s QHHT, to
personal growth (public speaking, overcoming fears, DW). I remind myself of
some of my strongest values I want to pursue, that determine ultimate
happiness: personal growth in a
field that makes me suffer through life; contribution/helping
others in a significant, influential way; having strong, intimate, deep relationships with others;
and lastly, having the freedom and
control over how I want my life to go and directions to take.
The question that now comes to my mind is, is nursing going to get me this, and can I survive and thrive in the nursing environment? This is question needs to take into consideration of the details.
Contribution Aspect:
1. How
much of a positive contribution will nursing opportunities allow?
2. What
type of positive change am I looking to make for people/society?
Freedom
Aspect:
1.
How
much freedom do I want?
2.
How
much do I want to be location independent?
3.
How
many hours a week or days a week will I be content with doing work that
contributes to society and helps others (job-wise), before it starts
restricting my freedom?
4.
How
much adventure do I want? How much travelling do I want to do?
5.
Will
nursing jobs burn me out energy-wise (introversion) and constrict how much
energy I will have to do the other things I will want to pursue?
Relationships
aspect will be handled with time to do DW training and energy as long as not
too burned out from on the job-talking. Same with personal growth, need time,
and some money.
The problem
with most of these questions, is that I cannot know the answers with certainty
right now. I will have to monitor and reassess as time goes on, I have a real
nursing job, and see how it impacts my life and where I want to go in life. The
best bet right now is to think of some alternatives that can get you where you
want. DC’s QHHT comes to mind. I probably will not be able to make as much
money as an RN. But I guess the key will be my ability to be a minimalist, and
save towards what it is I want. My alternative road that can potentially get me
where I want to be could be DC’s QHHT. It helps others, sometimes, some more
than others. It’s going to be the future of therapy. It would be a good fit for
my personality, as it is one on one, requires being a good listener and asking
good questions, talking about intimate stuff, with the potential to comfort and
help others in a distressful time in their lives.
The main
problem I see with nursing right now as a Sr. 2, is that it isn’t 3 days
straight, or so it seems, so I’m stuck for pretty much 4 days with only 3 days
off consecutively.
Best
bet: continue with nursing, see how it is, constantly reassess, but it might be
a good idea to get started on becoming a DC QHHT practitioner as well.
Re-evaluate how it is working for you in the real world and form a plan. ß ADPIE, the nursing process.
Good
ideas from the “can you buy your way out of the rat race” article and others:
-
You
can try to buy your way out for a certain period of time, but it’s definitely
hard, and even then, it’s temporary, according to this author.
-
Develop
as many skills as possible so you can choose what you want to do and have more
control over what job you want to do when, and where you want to go. (Invest in
your skills & broaden the types of work you look for) ß so for me, besides nursing, DC’s QHHT practitioner, DW communication skills and confidence, teaching English as a
second language, blogging, public speaking, overcoming other fears or negative assumptions
-
Beyond
that, learn how to do, make, grow, and find things for yourself
(Improvisation)!
-
Be
a minimalist: spend frugally and only on things important to you
-
Pg.
16, 17, 29, 32, 37 (quote by Bagnold) of Rolf Potts’ “Vagabonding an uncommon
guide to the art of long-term world travel”
Plan:
begin working as a nurse in a hospital near a place with relatively good
outdoor activities. Start living like a
minimalist and saving lots of money, some for adventure sports and others
for adventure travel (really rack up the fund). May want to not spend until you
know for sure that you’ve made it into the real world of nursing after reading the
statistic and experiences of about 1 in 5 new grad nurses quitting their jobs
the first year d/t overwhelming stress, toxic work environment, can’t time
manage, the uncertainty they have in themselves in stressful situations, and in
general, hating their jobs. Do try to keep in mind though that you may need
about a year to accurately assess whether you truly hate it or not. http://allnurses.com/first-year-after/new-grad-rn-330890.html
On days
off, go outside and pursue adventure activities. Also consider beginning the alternatives listed above. After 1&1/2
to 2 years of nursing experience, consider beginning travel nursing or per
diem. Remember for travel nursing, you may “You don't have to travel far from
home to be a travel health care professional. You can enjoy rewarding travel
assignments close to home.” - See more at:
http://www.travelnursing.com/nursing-jobs/local-travel#sthash.09nQEjPC.dpuf
Do your
research. After experiencing travel nursing (national and international) and
per diem, reassess and see if you feel you have enough freedom to travel. Quick
thought: in regards to a listed disadvantage of travel nursing, that being it
can get lonely, remember, it’s no different than traveling long term world
travel. You will meet lots of new people along the way in your adventures. You
just need to remember that it is essentially, the same mindset. Recall that
lots of world travelers prefer to travel by themselves as it forces them to
meet others and thus, experience lots of things they would not have had if they
were not alone. (Rolf Potts, Raam Dev, http://www.justonewayticket.com/2013/01/13/8-steps-to-freedom-how-i-quit-my-job-and-traveled-around-the-world/, http://news.discovery.com/adventure/how-toquit-your-job-and-travel-the-world.htm as just a few examples).
After
reassessing, and you feel that travel nursing and per diem allows you enough
freedom, good. If not, you may need to consider trying to get an extended leave of absence, sabbatical, or
quitting. What would you do if you quit, afterwards you come back from a
however long world trip? You can look for another nursing job maybe? Maybe in
Yosemite’s Medical Clinic? If not, maybe the DC QHHT practitioner? If not,
maybe teaching English in a foreign country like Rolf Potts to save money again
before heading out to travel again? Or any other “anti-sabbatical” jobs (Rolf
Potts’ Vagabonding book)? What about your adventure sports? That will require
more money than just if you were interested in travelling. Then maybe just need
to work longer, while being a minimalist. Remember from Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding
book, of the importance of earning your freedom. If you didn’t have to work and
earn for your freedom, travelling’s value will be diminished. Its satisfaction,
diminished. It may take longer, but it is what it is by then. At least you will
have thoroughly milked all your hard work in nursing school to see what this
avenue (nursing) can bring for you and you are not as likely to regret all the
energy and time invested throughout nursing school. When you do go travelling,
and you get rid of the apartment you were staying at month to month, maybe you
can leave your adventure sports equipment/toys at your parent’s house so you
won’t have to pay for a storage space? Because I don’t think you will want to
throw away or sell all those toys?
I guess
one of the main things is to just constantly reassess your situation and move
closer to your goal. You are at the beginning of seeing all these potential
options that may get you the freedom and adventure you want, and right now you
are feeling anxious about this because you want to see one, right road to take
that will get you there, but right now, there’s no way for you to know which
will get you there the most swiftly.
You may
want to consider starting now, practice being a minimalist. Begin that
lifestyle now, because the time for it is here really. Definitely once you get
your own nursing job, but since you are about 3 months away from graduation, it
wouldn’t hurt to start practicing that lifestyle now.
The
question that comes to me now is, how do I balance my plan to travel and go on
adventures with my desire to help others and make a positive
difference/contribution in the world? How am I going to best make a
contribution to society if not nursing? I guess the first question is, how much
of an impact/contribution does nursing make? And in comparison to other jobs?
Does nursing help other people? Well we give meds and perform other
interventions that either keep the patient safe or help/assist them get better.
I just had a thought while writing the previous sentence, it’s not the nursing
job that I really do to make a difference, but the act of comforting, helping
others in their most vulnerable moment that makes a difference. How often can nurses
say they really made a difference today? I can say so when that patient died
and I comforted his wife. But on an average day to day basis? Maybe it’s the
stuff that helps them get better but the chances of making these types of
difference everyday is probably not as likely. The key is your intention and
how much love for the other person you put in that makes the ultimate
difference/ is what counts. You can be a top ER nurse for a top level ER but
doing it all for your own ego and not for the ultimate desire to help someone
through their most vulnerable time. For DC’s QHHT, the clients that come to you
are usually at a vulnerable moment, and you help them understand themselves,
maybe heal them, and you make that connection with them. While in nursing you
are helping them get better, but the emotional aspect of it can seem distant,
removed, and a bit cold. It’s at the end of the day, what the person who was
helped that will say, “I remember that, I remember him, I remember the way that
he treated me in one of my most vulnerable moments, that touched me the most.
Whether or not the QHHT could heal or not, I will always remember the love that
he showed me.” That’s what I really want. That’s the type of difference I want
to make. Not just a distant act of giving meds that may or may not help people
get better. Not just a “hero” in the sense of putting in an IV for blood to
prevent them from bleeding out, because the adrenaline rush and novelty of that
may fade and there is no next level to go higher on. Maybe on a helicopter for flight
nursing but then what? The real hero is the person who helps others in their
time of need by giving them the love and support they’ll never forget about.
People will remember the way they were treated above all else.
Like as
I write this in the park, there is a guy walking with two crutches in front of
me from where I am sitting. Instead of being the guy who put in the IV, if he
had a femur fracture, and was bleeding out, I could have been the guy who told
him, “Hey, I admire your desire and persistence to get outside and move around even
though you have crutches right now. I know you could have easily stayed at home
and sit around all day but you chose to come out and I admire that
persistence.” It’s an authentic compliment without expecting anything in return
back (What David Wygant says to do I think; to give without expecting anything
in return) ß doing seemingly little things
that brighten up their day exponentially.
I think
the DC QHHT and the compliments idea fits my natural talents well also. I’m a
great one-on-one conversationalist, especially when it comes to conversation
with substance. I’m a great listener, I’m empathic, I’m interested in really
making a difference that people won’t forget, and I’m a natural observer. Talk
about Gandhi’s quote of, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
A life
of travel, variety, depth, and adventure is something to fervently experience,
but I feel it’s more of a selfish pursuit. The keys to happiness are: personal
growth (which includes travel, adventure, variety, depth, and among other
things); contribution; and strong, deep relationships (which will be
experienced with those you share adventures, commonalities, and values with).
But as you can see, the contribution aspect seems to be missing. So somewhere
along the way, no matter how it goes, whether nursing allows me the freedom I
desire or not, I will need to find a way to contribute. Whether it’s nursing,
DC’s QHHT, donating money to organizations that really help others who need it
and does not go mostly to the pockets of the organization’s individuals, or any
other way, I will need to find a way that right now, I just can’t say for sure.
*look in
bookmarks for Opera for websites of how to travel and inspiration
Sunday;
February 16th, 2014
UPDATED:
I need to be more specific about what it
is I want to do to have an adventure. What does an adventure consist of to me?
I know I want that feeling of feeling alive, challenged, and excited, and I
have read ideas that excite me to the point where I would say, “Wow that sounds
awesome!”, but being specific is necessary to start knowing what I would do if
I had the time, which isn't exactly the case right now. Then you can save up
money precisely, ruthlessly for that and cut out all else that is the mundane.
Adventure travel ideas all pretty much
excite me and are the types of adventures I’m looking for, whereas travelling
in it of itself, I hate to say it – and it’s possible I may find that not to be
true if I actually embark down that road - but in it of itself does not sound as
exciting. The key to doing either adventure travel or long-term world travel,
is still the same though. Most these people who do either, usually work some
seasonal job, saves ruthlessly, then quits to embark on their idea of
adventure. The dude in the national geographic video of “What it Takes to be an
Adventurer” did that. He said he would “I would load up all this gear and leave
the city and spend a couple months on the road…”
And just as how Rolf Potts first started
out, doing random jobs, to save up to travel, the “So You Want My Job: Mountain
Guide” article also states: “During this time, most will not attend school nor
will they work full-time. There is a deep and vibrant culture of climbers and
skiers living in alternative fashion while accumulating experiences most could
never imagine. These “lifestylers” work seasonal jobs, chase weather and
conditions around the country and world, and almost incidentally accumulate the
experience necessary for a career as a guide. I did exactly that, deferring
“grown-up” life for quite some time. I lived in my car, crashed on couches,
worked at ski areas and pizza places and summer camps, all the while learning
to ski and climb and manage risk in big, wild mountains.”
The best
you can do to get this freedom is to follow your plan you wrote above. You don’t
know with certainty if you want to give up nursing, you don’t know what the
real world will be like, and you do want to make a difference in the lives of
others, no matter if nursing can seem emotionally distant to you or not. You
either work with the freedom of that of a nurse, or you aren’t a nurse, and do
seasonal jobs instead, and chase your adventurers. To which, the latter, if the
nursing does not work out for whatever reason, at least you will have exhausted
that pathway. And unless you can find or create an entrepreneurship, or through
real estate, that allows you to bring in adequate passive amounts of income to
support your desired lifestyle, you have the two options listed a few sentences
ago. As burned out as you feel right now Michael, you don’t know how much, how long,
or to what degree, you yearn for adventure travel. Maybe things will change significantly
with time. Maybe deep down, you will like and maybe love nursing. It’s very
likely someday you will want to at least explore the avenue of DC’s QHHT
practitioner yourself. The same is also true with DW’s communication skills and
development that I want to delve into, especially as I travel, go on
adventures, pursue adventure activities, and other pursuits in general.
It’s
always best to keep as many options open to you as possible. And it’s important
to assess and re-assess periodically what your dreams are and how you’re
getting there. Keep all this in mind!
_______________________________________________________________________________
read patrick
hickey's book, email peter anderson, all other people listed who are nurses,
how they do it. How do they get the adventure with being an RN?
Ideas:
Staff nursing position but schedule your days so you have more days off in a
row; travel nursing (local, national, abroad) with time off in between; per diem
nursing; Baylor plan in nursing; flex-time; part-time employment;
Also
want to get into flight nursing one day.
Resources:
look under bookmark folders of: People whose lives are an adventure, Why I want
to be a nurse; also look in Patrick Hickey’s book 7 Summits;
Wednesday; February 19th, 2014; 2:42 PM
________________________________________________________________________________
One of the alternatives that I listed in bold that I should begin doing is David Wygant's program of becoming a master communicator. This goal, is not just for myself, as I've just realized. How we live and interact with others impacts them directly, and thus will impact how they treat others, so this repeating system of one impacting another is a small but powerful way to make a positive difference in the lives of others! My purpose to help others needs to include improving myself to the point where I am treating everyone with the love and compassion that they will remember!
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201403/how-create-happiness-lasts
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201403/how-make-the-world-better-place
Thursday; March 13th, 2014; 10:51 AM
________________________________________________________________________________
One of the alternatives that I listed in bold that I should begin doing is David Wygant's program of becoming a master communicator. This goal, is not just for myself, as I've just realized. How we live and interact with others impacts them directly, and thus will impact how they treat others, so this repeating system of one impacting another is a small but powerful way to make a positive difference in the lives of others! My purpose to help others needs to include improving myself to the point where I am treating everyone with the love and compassion that they will remember!
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201403/how-create-happiness-lasts
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201403/how-make-the-world-better-place
Thursday; March 13th, 2014; 10:51 AM
