Celebrating Wins, A Fun Year & My 1st Birthday!
Hey Friends,
I have some exciting news for you all! It is the first Birthday for the Aussie Nurse Educator this coming week! I wanted to chat about WINS and how I always win by celebrating my birthday (personal birthday) exactly how I want and need to. On reflection, of last year, I realised I first posted on the Aussie Nurse Educator Instagram when I was away on my honeymoon in the summer of January 2021. The date was 26th January and it started with the standard ‘coming soon’ post…and the following week I began posting content for you all. This was day one, win one….I started.
Birthday’s are very important to me! Something I cherish and make the day all about!
Following my time at school, I worked full time during University and since then, I have always taken my birthday off! Completely! I get up and I do exactly what I want to do for the day and absolutely immerse in the day and enjoy it, for me! There was one year, about 3-4 years into my nursing career, I decided that I was going to work my birthday to help the team I was working with. It was an extra shift I was asked to do. I said yes. I thought I was doing the ‘right thing’. I didn’t realise how much I was going to hate it. I turned up on my birthday for a great nursing shift, 0800-1630, the dream birthday shift, right? It was a busy recovery unit and after arriving we spent about an hour where we were quite busy constantly, however, following this, we were pretty standard in terms of the patient flow and acuity, plus we had enough staff! I was not needed from about 2 hours into the shift. I was immediately annoyed. I had gone out of my way, on my special day and then I wasn’t even required!
I realised at that point, I have to do these things for ME. I love this day and I had always had it off! It is MY DAY! I love helping people and stretching myself! Especially for my immediate team, however I wasn’t even able to effectively ‘help’ them due to how I felt about me not looking after ME and what I NEEDED! So, from that day forward, I take my birthday off, for me! No excuses and I do not let any factors get in the way of me enjoying my day!
This year my birthday (personal) is on a Monday and I have already begun planning the day off! My wife and I usually spend it away, camping in our van with our beautiful english staffy, Sassy. As I mentioned above, the Aussie Nurse Educator (me, ? – I now have two birthdays), has a birthday this week. Due to the first post date being the 26th January 2021, the 26th January 2022 is the Aussie Nurse Educator’s Birthday ?
On the topic of wins, its important to celebrate them! Regardless of whether they are big or small – they mean something to you! I take my birthday for me and my win is that I choose to do so!
Enjoy the week, take care.