Enjoying a Job is an Uncommon Gift

Earning money is a necessary evil for responsible adults.  I imagine very few of us choose the ideal career path on our first try.  My jobs progressed from being a teenage housecleaner and Dairy Queen cashier through administration positions at a national bank, which led me to manage a multi-million dollar grant at a nationally certified cancer center.  I could have succeeded for years managing that grant and made a respectable salary, but thankfully I recognized something more important... success at a job and money paid for doing it do not necessarily lead to feelings of success and content.

I abandoned the career path I was on and headed to nursing school, which took me to where I was meant to be...an intensive care nurse.  My previous administrative experience proved an unusual benefit within the nursing world, and I was drawn into a management position much earlier than I ever anticipated.  I stayed in that position for several years, until I remembered why I changed careers years ago, which was to be a bedside nurse.  I courageously stepped away from management, where I had become comfortable, and went back to being a bedside nurse 100%. 

It has been one year since I made that change and have been able to focus on bedside nursing; I totally underestimated the peaceful feelings I have enjoyed since then.  Bedside nursing is hard work.  Thankfully the rewards are directly related to how much effort we are willing to put forth to provide exceptional care for our patients.  I am lucky to work in a field within which I can both give and receive.  I do not take that for granted and hope I never do.