The other day, a colleague and long-time friend was lamenting to me about never getting that award and, despite submitting numerous grant applications, just not being able to attract the attention of the National Institutes of Health. That conversation inspired me to blog about this subject, because I am acquainted with those feelings.
I know the easy road is to disparage oneself, but I will not go there because I believe everyone eventually does receive his or her just reward. The important thing to remember is that acclaim may not come the way we forecasted—in the form of awards or national recognition—but, if we stay on course, we will reap the fruit of our labor.
My mother used to tell me that the universe has a way of steering us toward our destiny, as long as we believe in our purpose. The other lesson I learned from her is to stop limiting myself to departmental awards, or other typical forms of recognition, but instead, to open myself up to infinite possibilities. It is those words of my mother that keep me going and believing that, although the sun seems to shine more quickly on others, hard work will eventually pay dividends. They may not come in the form we anticipate, but they will manifest in ways that exceed even our expectations!
From Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
