Situation
I have been having a bit of an identity crisis since I moved to Italy.
Background
I have been a nurse for almost a decade. Whoop whoop! To some, I may still be a baby nurse, and I thank you for that. To others, I am the, “I hope I can become a nurse like you someday.” I love nursing. I have a huge passion for nursing. I can talk about it for hours.
I often tell people that I wish there were more days in the week so that I could work as a nurse. My dream week would be one day in the adult ICU, pediatric ICU, ER, teaching in class, teaching clinicals, infusion center, and hospice. I have worked in so many different areas and I love them all. For me, there is always something to learn or something to encourage in every area of nursing. I love nursing because there is so much that we can do and I want to do it all because it is so much fun!
Now, I live in Italy and am unable to work as a bedside nurse. So, I became certified as a health and life coach Health Coach Institute, and I joined RN2writer to become a freelance writer.
This is where I am having an identity crisis. It is so different being self-employed. Without a physical location where I go and get to “be a nurse”, I don’t feel like I have an identity. I am being pulled in so many directions. This is also my first time being a stay-at-home mom.
Assessment
Who am I?
· Nurse?
· Freelance writer?
· Health and life coach?
· Stay-at-home mom?
· Military spouse?
Without knowing who I am, I felt unable to move forward and make any true progress in any of these careers.
I had an amazing conversation with my own personal coach, and we discovered that I am all of those things and that makes me invaluable.
I did not know if I should have two LinkedIn accounts for coaching and freelance writing. I wasn’t sure if people would get confused. Wondering if they’re looking at a profile of a writer or a coach. I wasn’t sure if I was doing too much at one time, which ends up with me not doing enough in any one area. The jack of all trades, master of none came to mind.
My coach asked me, “Are you a great nurse, writer, coach, and mom?” My answer is “Yes, to all! I am the nurse everyone wants to work with. I write engaging content. I change lives as a coach. As a mom, my kids are happy and healthy.”
Recommendation
At the end of my day, I am all these pieces of me. I am all of the above and I am great at it. I have decided that I will showcase all of myself. I use all my knowledge, experience, and skills to excel at what I do.
Nursing, coaching, writing, being a mom, and being a military spouse all contribute to what I can deliver. I truly believe I can help so many people in the world because of my experiences and knowledge. Nursing taught me how to save lives. Coaching taught me how to build rapport. Being a mom taught me extreme patience. Being a military spouse taught me adaptability and resilience. I get to use all this knowledge and experience to write engaging content that people can relate to. In turn, I also get to use my writing skills to spread the word about nursing, coaching, being a mom, and being a military spouse.
I can only be all of me when the individual pieces come together and make me whole. I love who I am. I love what I have to offer. I can’t wait to see where my journey leads me.