THAT EXTRA DEGREE

Sometimes, success is simply a matter of making one small adjustment. For example, at 99 degree celsius water is hot but at 100 degrees celsius, it boils, wow!  Incredible right?!  This makes all the difference! Just one extra degree is the difference between hot water and boiling water! Sam Parker and Mac Anderson expanded on this in their short book, 212 degree(100 degree celsius): "The Extra Degree."



They wrote: “Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply  very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine.” Indeed, small things can make a tremendous difference!

As you go on to the journey of a new month, force yourself to move on! Take one little step forward daily in the direction of your goals and plans for the new month. Refuse to look back! No matter how little it is, no matter how infinitesimal it might look, no matter insignificant it might seems, your little faith in your ability, your little believe that yes you can be a force to bring about the desired change you want to see in the world, your little faith in God will create a mighty testimony as you hold on.

I believe reading is not enough, practising is much better and putting God first in all is the over all best. I stand to be corrected on this 90% of people on this part of the world are mediocres. In nursing profession a lot are still mediocres, let's call a spade a spade. We hid ourselves from the crowd and keep ourselves with the routine works thinking we are getting any better but rather stinking because we had no time to wash away acade ideas and input new and relevant ones. We find our selves getting mad and angry at things (Reactions) but doing nothing on it (actions) is just what mediocres do.

 Mediocrity on Demands

What we called for certainly we got it and of course no one is to be blamed.

No wonder Gani Fawehinmi an activist and an autocratic leader said and i quote "stand for what is right even if you are standing alone".

I summarize here 4 categories of mediocres

-Academic mediocres
-political mediocres
-spiritual mediocres and -social mediocres.


 Academic mediocres
one thing I realized about us students is that we tend to be lazy  and it is really not our faults but because we almost overwork the brain in its ironical form.
Abraham Lincoln made me understand the brain has a lot of cells that can accomodate so many informations without it getting tired. He explained further that there are over 100billion cells in the brain and the most hardworking, brilliant persons have only used 1%, jezz! what of the 99% you may ask as well. Yes we are getting there and I believe in us all.
Stretch your brain, exercise it, it works and demand more. You stretching it is not causing its weakening but its active functioning. Spread the wings, read wide, assimilate much and reinforce more
know something about everything and know everything about something.
Be Vast
Start fresh
start now and let the drive keep pushing on.

Okunola Mayowa Bukola
For Fellow Nurses Africa

Plenty of people probably have opinions about what your nursing career should look like. However, the person behind the wheel of your nursing career should be you. Are you truly driving the bus of your nursing career?

Who's driving the bus of your nursing career?

Who's Driving the Bus?

Nurses, it's crucial for us nursing professionals to internalize the fact that being behind the wheel of our careers is paramount.

So many nurses I speak with feel constricted not only by the opinions of others, but also by the voices inside of their heads that tell them they're "less than" and unworthy. Whether these voices come from family, friends, colleagues, teachers, or the culture at large, your professional trajectory must be stamped with your imprimatur, your own self-generated sense of approval and self-worth.

Self-Limitation 

Owning the notion of being "just a nurse" is only one of the many ways that nurses diminish themselves, demean their expertise and professionalism, and essentially put others in the driver's seat of their careers. Self-limiting statements and beliefs may include:

"I'm just a nurse."
"I can't be an entrepreneur; nurses don't own businesses."
"Nursing is a calling, not a career."
"Nursing is a calling, not a platform for business."
"Being assertive and forward-thinking isn't natural for me."
"Nurses aren't as smart as doctors."

There are plenty more self-limiting beliefs that nurses internalize, but you get the idea; such statements and beliefs weaken your ambition, convincing you that you're just stuck where you are with nowhere else to go.

Get Behind the Wheel

Getting behind the wheel of your nursing career looks different for everyone. For one nurse, it means putting her nose to the grindstone, and pushing forward consistently until she earns the PhD that's been in her sights for a decade or more. For another nurse, it's becoming a Legal Nurse Consultant and hanging a shingle as a nurse entrepreneur. For yet another nurse, it's opening a concierge nursing practice for the wealthy elderly in San Diego.

Whether it's entrepreneurship, scholarship, research, or clinical practice---each nurse has the power to decide for him- or herself on the most efficient and fulfilling path to get there.

Make A Plan

Getting behind the wheel and driving the bus of your nursing career means that you come up with goals and a plan. Those goals can't be amorphous and ambiguous, like "earn more money" or "be happier"; they need to be "SMART": specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

If you want to launch a business as a nurse entrepreneur, SMART goals can be very valuable in that process. And if you want to travel from being an ADN to a PhD or DNP, some prudent planning is definitely in order, especially in terms of finances, work load, and the path to that desired goal.

That said, "achievable" and "realistic" can mean different things to different people. If Steve Jobs had limited Apple's goals to the "realistic" column, we probably wouldn't have the iPhone or the iPod---or the entire smart phone revolution. And if Florence Nightingale hadn't reached beyond her "station" and convinced the field doctors in the Crimea to do things differently, medicine and the nursing profession would have been in the Dark Ages a whole lot longer, sacrificing many lives along the way. Jobs and Nightingale didn't think about SMART goals; they had a vision and didn't allow anything to stand in the way of its achievement.

Yes, realistic and achievable are generally good guidelines for steering the bus, but remember that we must also reach beyond our comfort zones at times; that can definitely mean playing your cards close to your chest when it comes to the naysayers who are just waiting to tear you down and disabuse you of your opinion that what you want is indeed possible.

Take Charge

Plenty of people will have opinions about anything you want to do with your nursing career. Some will urge you to keep your horrible job because of the health insurance and stability, and others will convince you that starting a business in the current economy is financially suicidal. This is usually a result of their fear of doing such a courageous thing themselves, and they'll readily project their fear on you.

Stick with the voices of people you trust, not the people who are "shoulding" all over you. Those "shoulds" are what's going to get in your way; kick those folks out of the driver's seat. In fact, why not kick them off the bus entirely?

Trusted advisers will generally steer you in the right direction, but make sure you vet your advisers for limiting beliefs that will slow you down or take you off course; even the most trusted mentor can allow his or her own fears and projections to color their advice and support.

Nurses, take charge, empty the bus of the unhelpful voices, and seize the steering wheel now. This is your journey, my friends; make it your own and play it big.

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Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, 

Time; The true Test of ALL

It Tests US
It Tests loyalty
It Tests strengths and weaknesses
It Tests abilities
It Tests stupidity
It Tests wisdom
It Tests friendship and family
It Tests relationships
It Tests opportunities when it abounds

It Tests dreams and aspirations
Time is never wasted
Lessons are learnt and life goes on.

We may not be where we are in dreams
We all actually think disappointment is sharing birth right with us sometimes.

Mistakes may be a recurrent occurrence, we sometimes do things we vowed never to do

our trust and love may be betrayed
We may ask
"why always me?"

quitting breeds no  champion ...

Giving up doesn't equate new opportunities

Whatever life throws at us,

Give it TIME, it heals.
Give time the opportunity to test all things

By all means possible, Be happy

Omolola Aborisade
For Fellow Nurses Africa

The notion of pivoting in your nursing career isn't a new one, and that readiness to pivot can emerge emerges from a nimbleness of mind and a willingness to read the tea leaves of your career. Are you nimble?

Nurse Be Nimble, Nurse Be Quick

Being nimble in terms of your career means that you're willing to think beyond what's right in front of you. It also means doing the work of preparing and paving the groundwork for something that you want -- and if you don't know what you want, you're at least asking the right questions.

Many nurses appear to settle into an area of nursing, rest on their laurels, and think less of the future than perhaps they should. These nurses don't necessarily think a great deal about what they may want in five or ten years; thus, when they're suddenly feeling unhappy and itchy for change, there's much more work to be done due to the years they've spent avoiding any forward movement or thought for the future.

In a post from 2015, I wrote:
Listen to the voices that you hear. Pay attention to the ever-evolving zeitgeist of your industry. Know what other people are thinking, and if you work in an evidence-based profession, follow the evidence when it pertains to you and your area of expertise.
The Consequences of Non-Action

In Buddhism, the concept of non-action is an important one. You know the old adage, "Don't just sit there, do something"? Well, in certain circumstances, it's sometimes better to turn that around, and say, ""Don't just do something, sit there." However, when it comes to your career and its ongoing trajectory, I prefer action, even if that action is listening, thinking, and asking salient questions.

Let's say you're a nurse like me who worked in home health for the first decade of your career. You've never worked in the hospital, and while you love home health, you've actually been feeling called to finally take the plunge and enter the world of acute care. This may be a tough row to hoe since you've been in outpatient nursing for your entire career, but there's no saying it's not possible.

During these past ten years when you've been focusing exclusively on home health, you haven't done any networking, your resume is a mess, and you have few contacts beyond your small universe of home care colleagues. All along, you've never considered that any of the hospital staff whom you've met could be helpful to your career in any way, so you haven't connected with anyone on LinkedIn, built relationships, or otherwise laid the groundwork for the future.

In your mind, you'd like to jump right into the ICU, but common sense says that without any hospital experience since nursing school, you're going to have to pay some dues, prove your mettle, and begin with a position in med-surg, step-down, or a sub-acute floor. Sure, you'd love to land an ICU position, but you simply don't have the nursing skills or the connections to get you there. Your road will be challenging, but it's not impossible -- it'll just take time, and diligent action on your part.

Reading the Inner Landscape

Being nimble of mind means being open to possibility. It also means that, in terms of your career, you're steeped in curiosity and expansiveness, rather than wearing blinders.

As a nurse who is nimble of mind and quick to grasp opportunity, you not only read your immediate surroundings and the healthcare landscape around you; you also read the landscape within your heart and mind.

If there's an inkling in your head or heart that what you're doing now won't hold water for you in a few years, now is the time to take inspired action in a new direction. That inspired action can simply be chatting with a nurse or manager who you know and trust, reaching out to a career coach for inspiration or seeking informational interviews with professionals who are holders of information that may be helpful to you.

If you maintain awareness of how you're feeling about your career and work life, you're more likely to take preemptive action that will foment change, rather than being reactive when the going gets tough remain Awake and Aware.

We can all get sleepy and lazy at certain points in our lives. We feel comfortable, we settle into the status quo, and we conveniently forget or ignore the fact that we may want something more down the road.

You must remain awake and aware to possibility, understanding that every colleague who you meet could be a source of brilliant information that will wake you up to something new. If you're feeling complacent in your career, there's no time like the present to do something about it and take a forward step.

As professionals, there's always the micro and the macro. The micro is the minutiae of the day to day, the details of our lives and work. Meanwhile, the macro is the bigger picture, the bird's eye view, and this is where we need to keep at least a little attention. It's easy to get caught up in the web of details, but those details can blind you to the wider career horizon.

Being nimble and quick doesn't necessarily mean turning on a dime or being blown in some new direction with every wind that comes your way. Being nimble and quick means that you're listening, that you're willing to change, and that you are quick to perceive that change may be in the air.

Is your workplace unstable? Are you becoming unhappy in your role? Do you feel limited or stuck? Is there something you've always wanted to do as a nurse? Is your current specialty area drying up and being supplanted by new technologies or skills?

I'm glad if these questions make you uncomfortable, because a little discomfort will galvanize you towards change, if change is what is called for.

Nurse be nimble, nurse be quick. Nurse, consider your future, and keep your eyes wide open.

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By
Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC.

Becoming a person of value. 

Value is an indicator of worth. Value defines quality. Value determines the quality of influence or impact. Value could be an upward surge or a downward spiral; it could be worthwhile or worthless; its quality could be excellent or mediocre; its influence or impact could be positive or negative. In our context, value connotes superior quality that distinguishes from all others. To become successful, you must become a person of value. In fact, until you become valuable you can never become successful. The more valuable you become, the more successful you become. This invariably implies, you do not seek to become successful rather you seek to become a person of value and you will automatically become successful. The level of contribution you make to life is dependent on the level and quality of value you create for others. Your influence increases when your value increases. Every human being has equal intrinsic value or self-worth; however, value can be appreciated or increased and value can also be depreciated or decreased. Value is increased through personal growth and development. Value could be decreased through self-depreciation and a stagnating or negative mindset. Value is a product of the level you have grown your mind through investment in self. The quality of investment in self is proportionate to the value you create for others. Therefore, value births influence and influence is the lead way to relevance. The start-up of a life of value is living a life of integrity. A person of value is not for sale because his or her life is built upon the rock solid foundation of integrity. And upon the rock solid foundation of integrity, towering heights of influence is built. The person of value does not compromise values that are based on eternal or timeless principles. Moral breakdown is the cause of societal breakdown. In fact, moral breakdown is the lead way to emotional breakdown; mental breakdown; relational breakdown and even financial breakdown. When morality is trampled underfoot, value erodes from life. When morality is elevated, value is enhanced. Integrity is not an outdated idea rather it is an upgraded version of living without regrets. What matters in life is the small things that adds up to make the big things. The root of integrity bears the fruit of respect, dignity and trust. Without integrity, value is lost. When there is a breakdown of integrity, there will be a breakdown of trust and when there is a breakdown of trust there will be a breakdown of harmony and when there is a breakdown of harmony, life loses its potency. Integrity is not flexible in nature; it is not situational; there is no middle ground-it’s either you have integrity or you are void of integrity. John Maxwell reveals, “Integrity commits itself to character over personal gain; to people over things; to service over power; to principle over convenience; to the long view over the immediate.” Crisis does not make character rather crisis reveals character. Everything you have done in the past and everything you’ve neglected to do unfold under moral pressure. Integrity is not a behavioral modification rather it is the modification of the thought processes. Integrity or character is not a product of upbringing or circumstances rather a life of integrity is a product of choice. Upbringing and circumstances undoubtedly influence your character. And except you are in your childhood, you are absolutely responsible for your choices through life including the character choice. The level of your value to the world is determined by the strength of character rather than the weight of your credentials. Credentials exploit rights and are short-lived; character expresses responsibility and it is timeless. The value of credentials starts and ends with self; it is self-focused. The value of character positively impacts the lives of others; its people centered. Credentials brags about past accomplishments or achievements. Character builds destinies thereby leaving a timeless legacy in people. Credentials stirs up envy or jealousy in people. Character attracts respect and trust from others. Credentials can open doors but character keeps the door perpetually open for you and consistently open greater doors and keeps them open. Character is the real deal. Public image is superficial unless it harmonizes with a strong moral character. D. L. Moody expresses, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” How you treat people who cannot hurt you and whom you can gain nothing from is a test of the greatness of your character or lack of it. When you role-play based on the person you are with, you rule-out trust and a long term relationship with them. When you are not transparent with others, you trample relationships and business opportunities with others. Your commitment to live a life of integrity sets you up for victory in the moments of crisis or temptation. Integrity grows from the little things or minor things to the big things or major things. Integrity has no price-tag for its value is inestimable; it’s highly esteemed far above power, revenge, pride or money. Therefore, a person of value cannot be bought.


By Udeme Archibong