Category Archives: Bravery

Excellence Rewritten

There was a mushroom in my meal at a nice restaurant in San Fransisco at the beginning of my birthday weekend in wine country. The lightheaded, tired sensation which begins my reaction came quickly. I have a chronic mold allergy which is managed well unless an unforeseen exposure to fungi occurs. So annoying. Some explosivesContinue reading “Excellence Rewritten”

Excellence in Life’s Challenges

What makes you think of when you hear the word “discipline”? I have been listening to a book which includes instructions on personal discipline in the areas of daily focus and morning routines in order to start every day with excellence. After the work I have been doing this past year with energy zones thisContinue reading “Excellence in Life’s Challenges”

Reputation vs. Integrity

I thought upholding my reputation was the key to success. I was wrong. I work in an industry where valuing the dignity of all humans and providing excellent nursing care is honored and celebrated. My reputation as a nurse is as good as my work. I choose, whenever it is in my ability, to beContinue reading “Reputation vs. Integrity”

When It’s Someone Else’s Fault

My resilience often falters when someone else causes me grief, stress, anxiety, or you name it. My desire to find wine goes up, I complain more and I loose sleep. The truth is that it is easier for me to blame someone else for my own lack of resiliency than to take responsibility for it.Continue reading “When It’s Someone Else’s Fault”

Back to the “Why”

An exercise I have done often, and seen done during resiliency workshops, is to review the reasons “why” we do what we do. Why am I a nurse? Why am I an ICU nurse? Why do I choose to work as well as be at home with my girls? For example, a nurse might answerContinue reading “Back to the “Why””

Writing a New Story

As I shared last week, a resilient life is one where stress can be managed at a good baseline. There are seasons where we are more heightened or stressed, but after the season ends, we should be able to return to our former level of stress or something close to it. This can be incrediblyContinue reading “Writing a New Story”

When the flashbacks prevent sleep…

My heart and prayers go out to the community of Boulder. Thank you to all the courageous men and women who were present and who arrived to rescue and to protect. I am humbled by your sacrifices and grateful to your entire families for theirs as well. Reflection – in case sleep has gone byContinue reading “When the flashbacks prevent sleep…”

Music, a piece of resiliency

(This blog might be tough to read if you have suffered the loss of a young person.) For any nurse our first death of a patient, whether we took care of the patient intensely or walked into a code situation, takes residence easily in our memories. At an instant, we can recall where we were,Continue reading “Music, a piece of resiliency”

Belonging: What Matters Most

The pressure to be productive can go right out the window this week. I realized after a stressful meeting where I felt distant and walked away not feeling like I belonged, that questioning my sense of belonging decreases my desire for productivity. If I feel as though I belong, I am more invested and theContinue reading “Belonging: What Matters Most”