Blogtember: September 11th

September 11th: How do you stay inspired?

 Who inspires you the most?

Oh my goshh, I can tell this is going to be my most favorite topic of Blogtember. The word INSPIRATION itself is my most favorite word in the entire English language. I have a tattoo of Chinese symbols for the word on my right ankle. The tattoo took me 3 years to finally decide to get, and I decided to finally do it because the word means so much to me.

Also, when I was going through the process to be inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success at my college, I had a speaker who spoke about mentors: how some people naturally look to find a mentor and be a mentor continuously. I am definitely one of those people. I look to people in every avenue of my life that I want to emulate and be like. I have done this since a young age, but more so as I have grown up and entered the workforce and college/nursing school.

This said, I have MANY mentors, many of whom are also family and close friends. Here are just some of the people who inspire me daily. I am so very grateful for them, and I would not be where I am without their inspiration and guidance everyday.

My mom and Nana

My mother and my grandmother are two of the strongest women I have ever known. They are so family oriented and would do anything for their children and grandchildren. They have taught me everything I know about faith, family, and being a good person. I am eternally grateful for them and for being able to have a stable, happy childhood and being taught manners, respect, honesty, decency, and other life lessons at a young age. They are truly my heroes and everything I want to be for my own children someday.

My former nursing instructors

I have NO WORDS to describe how incredible these women are and how much they have changed my life. Everything that I learned to make me into the nurse I am today came from them, and I am forever grateful that I had the privilege to be in their classrooms throughout my nursing school journey. These women are now my friends and I work with them tutoring for their classes and I see the other side of their jobs now and can appreciate even more what they put into their jobs on a daily basis.

My co-workers

I work with some of the most amazing RNs in the entire world and I am so lucky to be learning from such wonderful people. From the day I set foot onto my unit, they have been open and welcoming to me, have never made me feel less than they are because I'm new, and have been nothing but helpful to me these last 6 months. I have made some great friendships that I know will only grow throughout my career. I will never forget how amazing they have been to me and will pass the example on to other new nurses that come to our unit in the future.

Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert

Elise and Tasha are my two most favorite gymnasts in the whole world. They have inspired me in so many ways, mainly reminding me everyday to work for your dreams and that hard work pays off. They  were a part of one of the least successful WAG teams in the last 20 years but I love them and that team more than any other because they overcame so many obstacles, injuries, and bad situations and still came home with a team medal. Then Tasha and Elise and the rest of the team went to college and had wonderful collegiate careers. Elise and Tasha have both interacted with me via email, Twitter, and Facebook. I have made them both birthday gifts in the last year and they both loved them and Elise even sent me a thank you card! I would love SO much to meet them someday!! They mean so much to me.

I am so grateful for all of these amazing people and their presence and inspiration in my life!