Spring—A Time for Professional/Personal Rebirth Too?

Are you beginning to come out of winter hibernation and starting to imagine what you would like to create anew in your career or personal life? I am in the process of expanding my practice from specifically helping nurses and other professional women succeed through all stages of their careers more quickly and with much less stress, to attaining peak wellness and vibrant energy levels.

Have you begun to germinate an idea that could expand your professional and/or personal growth? Have you thought just maybe you would like to explore a new job or even career? Are you at an age where retirement might be a next step, but don’t just want to sit in a rocking chair, so a new life purpose might be a creative option? Do you want to stop just dragging into work, and then muddling through a “to do” list when you get home, and long instead for more passion in your life/work and regain vibrant energy and a positive life outlook? Sometimes identifying when you feel uncomfortable enough and in what area of your life, can help your creativity flow and you can begin to explore more positive options.

The Story of the Dog Whining on a Porch

One day a man was visiting with his neighbor on the other man’s front porch. The neighbor’s dog was lying near the man, whining. When the visitor asked what was wrong, the neighbor replied the dog was lying on a protruding nail. Then the visitor asked why the dog didn’t move, the man replied “I guess he isn’t uncomfortable enough yet”. What is your “protruding nail” and are you becoming uncomfortable enough to begin to take action?

Let Your Creativity Flow, to Begin a Professional/Personal Rebirth

To help your creative process flow here are some simple steps:

1. Sit comfortably with both feet on the floor. Close your eyes if this is comfortable.
2. Ask yourself what area in your life is a “protruding nail” for you.
3. Is the uncomfortable area at work, at home or inside yourself?
4. Does your job/career in general come to mind, or just an aspect of it. For example, do you feel overloaded, underappreciated, or are you working with someone who habitually is critical, sarcastic, etc. and you feel nervous even interacting with him or her.
5. Is your home life stressful? Feel like you are pulled in all directions, or are you dealing with an unsupportive significant other?
6. Are you disappointed with personal aspects of yourself? For example do you feel you have gained some weight, are underactive, or are not accomplishing your personal/professional goals as quickly as you might like.

Once you have identified the area(s) where you feel uncomfortable in your life right now, try imagining what your life could be like if you did some growth in that area, and created a more satisfying personal/professional life. How do you think you would feel about yourself? How would you look, and sound when you talk? Where would you be working/living, etc.

The First Step to a Professional/Personal Rebirth is to identify your “protruding nail”, then imagine how your life/work would be different when you take action to grow past it.