We all know there’s no one magic formula for prosperity and happiness, but there’s one common denominator I’ve found among successful nurses: they have a passionate drive to do what they do. They are on fire. Some inner spark in the mind, spirit and soul burns intensely, driving them over seemingly insurmountable barriers. Kind of like the passion we feel for a newborn baby. I just got back from my great niece’s christening in San Diego.
I was there the night she was born (March 29, 2009) and it was love at first sight. There’s nothing like the love we feel for a new baby, but wouldn’t it be nice if the love you feel for your work could be almost as strong as the love you feel for a baby?
Ask yourself if you’re passionate about the work you do as an RN. If the answer is no, it’s nothing more than a nursing job. Don’t say you go to work every day because of the family and bills. We’ve all got those. While we can’t all quit our jobs and just play in our garden or hold precious babies all day, we can set up our lives to enjoy our work. Just because we have to make a living doesn’t mean that we have to feel like we’re not living to make it.
When I started my legal nurse consulting business in 1982, I felt like I was birthing a baby. I had to work overtime at the hospital to pay my mortgage. Because my passion for starting my business was so strong, I was willing to give up TV, a social life and every spare minute I had to go for what I wanted. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? YES! What do women say they remember most from the deliveries – the pain, or the unconditional love they felt? That’s how I remember my business start-up days. I was in love with the business I was creating, launching and growing.
Because I am passionate about my business and the work that goes with it, I am not really working at all. Does that sound strange or counter-intuitive? It shouldn’t. If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. If you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. Will you go to a job? Sure, probably five days a week. Will some days be harder than others? Sure. When Debra from our accounting department is distributing the paychecks, Tom will sometimes be heard to shout, “This is great! I can’t believe I get paid to work here! Woo-hoo!”
Do you have a “Woo-Hoo!” moment when you get your paycheck or do you have a “Ho-Humm” sigh? Without the fire that only passion arouses, success eludes us. If you’re not passionate about an idea, you won’t do what it takes to carry it out, because pursuing that idea would be way too hard without passion. Would a mom be able to go sleep deprived for years and do all that she does to care for her child without love?
To live passionately is to act. If you’re true to yourself, you’ll put energy behind your passions and take the necessary actions to bring them to fulfillment.
Passions are lived out in as many expressions as there are people. Yours are inside you, and they will reveal themselves with ease if you listen carefully. Take some time today and listen for your passion. It might surprise you and you may end up never working a day for the rest of your life.
Passionately yours,
Success Is Inside!
| P.S. | Please comment and share why you are passionate about what you do. |
Tags: business, consulting business, Legal Nurse Consulting, nurse, nursing job, passionate drive, Vickie Milazzo
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May 11, 2009 at 11:22 am
Liz Buddenhagen, RN, CLNC
Success feeds my passion more vividly than anything!
Another milestone! I recently moved into the bottom drawer of my file cabinet with files of cases. When I first started out, this ole five drawer file cabinet was purchased for $100 at a used office furniture store. The top two drawers were not usable for files and became office storage. The third houses LNC papers of all kinds. Now the fourth was where the cases were to be filed. And the empty fifth (bottom) was to be where the cases went after the fourth was full. The hanging folders were hung in hopes cases would soon be there.
Well – there are cases in there now – it makes me smile!
May 7, 2009 at 8:28 am
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
Thanks to all of you for your great comments; I read all of them with a heart filled with gratitude.
And Joy, I’m looking forward to meeting you at the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar in Houston June 1-6. I can already tell you are a passionate person. We’ll be here ready to welcome you to Houston and your new life career as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.
May 7, 2009 at 5:16 am
Joy Vincent
My passion now is looking forward to getting that CLNC® certification in June. I became a nurse 34 years ago to take care of patients – now I spend more time taking care of the computer charting. 12-15 hr ER night shifts are taking their toll on my mental and physical health, however I LOVED my brief stint in hospital risk management a few years ago before my daughter was born. Much of what I did in that job is the same as what CLNC® consultants do. Now I’ll have time to follow my other passions: parish nursing, pastoral care and MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers).I’m “pumped”! Look out, Houston, here I come!
May 6, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Jessica Miller
I am absolutely having the time of my life with this legal nurse consulting profession…you would be surprised (well, maybe not!) of how many times I hear “you’re lucky – you get to work from home” or “do you REALLY work in sweat pants and fuzzy slippers by the fireplace with A LABRADOR at home on rainy days??” I totally can’t imagine doing anything else. From time to time I run into people I worked with at the hospital, most of them look really old and tired. I thank God every day that I took this CLNC® Certification Program and have such great supports in place (that would be you all at the Institute!)
May 6, 2009 at 5:04 pm
CraigAnn Mehrmann Biggs
I have been an OB/GYN nurse practitiioner for 23 years and each new day brings something new for me to learn: whether it’s teaching a young lady about her menstrual cycle or talking about sexual issues with a menopausal woman or teaching a medical student how to do a pelvic exam or precepting an NP student. I never leave my work without having learned something new that day. I can’t imagine doing another job that I could have so much passion about and have so many rewards.
May 6, 2009 at 11:30 am
Jane Hurst, RN, CLNC
I remember vividly when I started my legal consulting business, I was scared to death. Not only that, but I felt like I was abandoning everything I had worked so hard to accomplish. I loved taking care of my patients, and I worried that I wouldn’t be the nurse I was before.
Once I got over my self-imposed guilt trip, it didn’t take long for me to realize that #1- no one else was responsible for my happiness and success but myself, and #2- I wasn’t abandoning my profession. I was using my nursing skills, knowledge and experience to a completely different level.
I never really experienced passion for my work until I went out on a limb and jumped to the other side. I love what I do. I love being able to work from home (even in my pajamas if I want). I love learning about the cases I work on. I love being able to work when I want, and not have to deal with all of the drama at work. I love feeling appreciated. I love knowing that when I provide my clients with excellent service and an excellent work product, I am rewarded by more business. I love the fact that what I do doesn’t feel like work, and of course I love the income.
I can’t imagine ever doing anything else. To me that’s passion.
May 6, 2009 at 9:58 am
Debbie M. Wuerl
My baby arrived! Since January this year, I just finished my 7th case! and know there are 4 more coming soon! Your program does work, and I’m so appreciative of what you taught us and for your constant support.