Being an adult is challenging somedays, if not most days. There are so many things to do, between work, home and all the extracurricular activities you have said yes to with your family, friends and community. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I am running in the gerbil wheel of responsibilities, get off exhausted, fall into bed, sleep for a few hours if I am blessed, and then get up to do it all over again. Can you identify? It is time to get off the gerbil wheel more often...

I recently bought a Christmas puzzle as I anticipated needing something to keep my brain busy as I was recovering from hip replacement surgery during the month of December. Well, let me tell you that puzzle has caused me deeply rooted frustration on so many levels. I spent hours just trying to build the outside edges. (Apparently, I am not very skilled at building puzzles. Who knew?) I want to use the puzzle pieces as a metaphor when thinking about self-care and refueling this month.

My recommendation for all of us this holiday season is to let go of expectations, decide to have no expectations in whatever we are experiencing or planning to experience. Choose to “just be” in the moment, to be present in the moment of now. The present is our true gift!

Have you heard the statement that nature is medicine for the soul? It is true, at least for me. How about you? Nature has many lessons for us as humans. I am currently in a Servant Leadership class and one of my professors shared with our class that 95% of a human’s time is spent indoors, in controlled and regulated environments. Ugh, really? I asked him to repeat this because I couldn’t believe it. Is this statistic true for you?

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miquel Ruiz is a must read. As humans we create so much of our “own suffering.” The agreements set forth in this book outline a code of conduct that can transform our lives leading to more freedom, joy and happiness. Based on what I am hearing lately from nurses I am confident that we could all use more of that in our lives right now.

Nurses are typically known for being givers. We give, give and give to others at the expense of ourselves often. As humans, most of us are incredibly hard on ourselves, becoming our own worst self-critic. This brings us up short, believing that we are not good enough, smart enough, pretty or handsome enough… the list could go on and on. Our brains and the circumstances of our lives often cause us extremes in suffering, so much so that we lose faith in ourselves and our abilities. Another truth...

Spring is here at least according to the birds. Listen to the birds, singing their song in the early morning hours. They are often singing long before we wake up to face the day ahead of us. Collectively, they make beautiful music together, as they each do their own thing, sing their own tune. We can take lessons from the birds.

Say the title of this blog out loud. Do you feel the difference energetically as you pronounce the words? I do. What I do know for sure is that a shift in words can instantly create a different outcome in your life and in your work.

As humans we are 100% responsible for how we show up in the world day in and day out. Many of us however don’t even think about the impact that we are having on others, our departments and all of our relationships. We are just going through the motions of day to day living often reacting to our circumstances. It is time to become more proactive, more intentional, and more anticipatory in how we show up for life.

How often do you battle with should thinking? “I should do this or I should do that.” The truth is that I battle should thinking on a regular basis. One example of this is that my “to do list” is so long that there is no way to complete it, EVER! Then add on the “shoulds” of the holiday season. Ugh just ugh!