Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Ten Year Rule
I don't know if I have previously shared one of my guiding life philosophies, but I will now.
(Am I the only person out there with actually-in-words life philosophies? lol)
One of my favorite principles that I use when making tough decisions is my "Ten Year Rule" - hence known as TYR. Meaning, ten years from now, what will I wish I had done?
I've put this guiding principle to use many times in my life, usually to justify spending or saving money, or taking risks on new opportunities, but sometimes to remember the Bigger Picture. I used it when I abruptly left my life in Alberta for the opportunity to live in Ontario, grooming at Millar Brooke. TYR when I had the choice of moving back to Alberta or to Scotland. When I had to decide between pursuing graphic design or upgrading my high school on the off chance I could get into Nursing - TYR.
More recently - using some of my student loan money to go to Thailand? TYR. Scuba certification, bungee jumping, facing my biggest fears. TYR.
Today I faced a dilemma. I have been emailing like a madwoman trying to get clearance from my school to attend the conference in January; trouble being, of course, that it's super close to Christmas break and no one seems to be in the office, and CNSA wants me to book my flight ASAP.
I got a reply from the faculty stating that basically
a) they supported me going, but
b) it was going to screw me in terms of clinical hours and could ultimately affect my grade.
So that's pretty disappointing. It's not like I'm OCD about maxing out my GPA. I'm really not. As long as I get a pleasant 3.3-3.5, I'm a happy girl. Enough for grad school is enough for me. But just the idea of KNOWING that I could be throwing away marks in exchange for the opportunity to attend the conference is pretty tough. I've been thinking hard about it since I found out the news.
Then, today, we had our first teleconference and talked about the presentation. I recognized one of the voices on the line - it was one of the coordinators at the conference I went to in October! He was on the team as well. I was even more excited than before. He is the kind of person who speaks and people listen. I just know he's going great places in Nursing and I'm excited to be on the team with him. Then I realized that if this was the calibre of people on the team, I am even more honored to be a part of it.
Thus, the Ten Year Rule.
Ten years from now, will I be lamenting the loss of a few tenths of a grade point in one class?
Or will I be disappointed that I missed out on an opportunity to present to hundreds of peers and respected leaders of my profession?
With TYR, as always, the choice is obvious.
I am, however, hoping to kiss sufficient ass to make up for my 4 days of clinical absence....
Oh! I found out that I will be going to an inner-city hospital for my L&D rotation with two of my best friends. Orientation on Jan 5!!
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5 comments:
I think I'm going to steal your TYR. Brilliant.
Now go practice your pucker. ;)
Um....yeah!!
Go!!
Those are resume padders, worth their weight in gold.
Great logic and reasoning, and unfortunately that lack of support from faculty is a common occurrence, and great irony. They make us take leadership classes, and yet somehow don't take this seriously. Just wait till you see the National Conference, it is awesome!
Also, side note. Would you mind if I included a screenshot of your blog in my book? Email me @ contact@robertfraser.ca if you have any questions, thoughts or concerns. I'm going to mention the URL, and it is just illustrating what blog looks like.
Thanks,
Rob
I can't believe that they won't let you make up time. Honestly.
by the way....I think the school should give you EXTRA POINTS for attending the National Conference. I don't see how they DON'T see the benefits of this experience for you as a student and your enhancement as a future RN...I am flabbergasted at their shortsightedness and ignorance....
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Thanks for your thoughts :)