A New Life Review for YOU

Welcome to installment #7 of the A to Z for a Rocking Retirement. G = GRATITUDE. Are you preparing to move into the retirement zone but feeling some resistance? It helps to look back and review the things that prepared you for this day.

A New Life Review for YOU

What are you grateful for from all your experiences in nursing that have made you the person you are now, and even set the stage for the person you will be tomorrow when you no longer report to work every day? It's all about doing a life review of what you have learned and what you still have to offer. A bit like preparing yourself for a job interview, only now it is a life review as you prepare for your next - and hopefully - best time of your life.

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Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie

One thing I've learned about being grateful is that it changes your attitude from negative to positive, makes you feel a whole lot better and gives you an appreciation of everything you have and have done. It's like taking a happy pill without using drugs!

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So here are my thoughts and the thoughts of others to inspire and challenge your thinking about the power of the gratitude you may have from your nursing career to guide you as you move forward.

Begin by making the statement - "I am grateful for" - and see how the rest of this flows for you:

G - Giving to others from my heart and soul for the betterment of all I have served

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"Giving" is an expression of gratitude for our blessings. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen

R - Relationships with co-workers who shared all the joys and sorrows of my profession and became a second family to me.

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No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. Alfred North Whitehead

A - Administering the healing touch of a nurse has more power than can be expressed and makes a huge difference in the lives of my patients

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Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. Aesop

T - Teachers from my past, not only in nursing school but daily at work who modeled what great nursing care and what great nurses are all about

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One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. Carl Jung

I - Intuitive hits that came once I had my feet on the ground with the profession and then following my intuition as another powerful nursing skill to use.

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Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. John Milton

T - Transitioning patients from illness to wellness through caring presence, compassion and competence

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I am so grateful when patients referred to me by caring nurses catch the "wellness passion" that I have and start taking control of their own health and become empowered consumers. Carol Ebert
RN
, Wellness Specialist

U - Understanding the many facets of the human condition - body, mind and spirit - and learning how to heal the body holistically from adverse circumstances

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When you know in your bones that your body is a sacred gift, you move in the world with an effortless grace. Gratitude and humility rise up spontaneously. Debbie Ford

D - Deciding moment by moment the right course of action to achieve the best results for patients, family, and me

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Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

E - Enlightenment about the power that nurses have to administer and heal and how incredibly important that role is for those in need

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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy

How does this list feel for you to read? Does it make you feel better and more grateful for all you've done and who you are? I'm sure you could create your own gratitude list of how powerful this nursing career has been in your life. Please share some of them with us so we can all get in on that boost of positive energy that comes from gratitude being expressed!

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Carol Ebert

About Carol Ebert, MSN, RN

Carol Ebert RN, BSN, MA, CHES, Certified Wellness Practitioner, Certified Mindful Coach, Sanoviv Nutrition Advisor

36 Articles   207 Posts

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Thanks for the list, Carol. Sometimes the difference between happy people and unhappy people is their level of gratitude. It is always better to be happy when you look back on the past as it propels you into the future with a smile on your face and in your heart.

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Specializes in Wellness and Coaching for Women in their Third Act.

Very grateful for your comments!

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