Is anyone else never satisfied like me?

[j450n, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hi everyone! Let me preface this post by saying that in general, I am somewhat of an insatiable person. I'm pretty ambitious and always have to have a goal or some sort of "big picture" to work towards. Luckily, the beauty of nursing is that it's so flexible and the multitude of things that you can do with a nursing degree is fantastic.

In recent months though, I find myself constantly wondering what I want to do for the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I find my current position of being an acute care float RN to be very rewarding/exciting. I get to float through the various specialties on a day-to-day basis and have learned so much...but even then, I know myself well enough to know that I don't see myself doing bedside nursing for the rest of my career.

I haven't even been out of school for that long and I'm already considering going back, as I'm easily seduced by academia. Critical care and CRNA school always lingers at the back of my mind, but I also love public speaking, interacting with people, teaching, looking at P&P, etc. I was student president during undergrad, so then I think that maybe Healthcare Administration would be something worth pursuing as well. The role of a CNS has appealed to me as well. I also love public health and community nursing, so that's something I've looked into as well. I have yet to really shadow and see if the aforementioned positions would be worth pursing.

Then, other times, I realize that I should just take the time I have now and just enjoy life a little bit more. I'm passionate about traveling and really value my time outside of work. For instance, I'm on a 5-day stretch of being off right now. That's like mini-vacations without having to use benefit time and it's awesome. Do I really want to give that up?

At any rate, not sure what the point of this post is. I think I just want to see if others are in the same boat. Sometimes, I just look forward to the next big thing and then I realize that I need to stop and enjoy life as it is and kind of just let things percolate over time.

Thoughts, comments, and words of wisdom appreciated. :)

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Take some time to sit down and draft your own personal "timeline". Include all the things that you have already accomplished - doesn't that look great?? Now, stretch it out into the future - anticipate the date when you expect to retire. Now, start filling in the future with the things you want to accomplish... your employment 'bucket list'. You don't have to be super-specific... use generalities such as "manage an acute care unit", "present at a national conference", "work in a foreign country", "become part of a disaster response team", "work in a first aid booth at the marathon", etc.

What do you want to do in 5 years? 10 years? How are you going to get there? There's no right answer - just the one that is right for you. The main difference between a fantasy and a goal is a good plan.