Nurses, What is Your North Star?

When we hear the term north star, we think of the stars in the sky. 

The most famous star of all is the north star, also known as Polaris or the Christian star. This star has much importance because it stands in a constant position day and night. It is perched above the North Pole. The north star symbolizes direction, guidance, stability, and purpose due to its fixed position relative to all the stars.

Recently the north star has become the buzzword among businesses and entrepreneurs. In business, a north star represents a company's unwavering definition of purpose, products, customers, and potential acquirers. The north star can also be known as a mission statement in business. Often used as an Orient when making decisions and choices as a leader.

Metaphorically speaking, your north star is your personal mission statement. It's a fixed destination that you can depend on in your life as the world changes around you. The north star can be the goal, passion, purpose, and life direction. In essence it can be what guides you. The north star is steady and reassuring because it is always constant in the same place.

So, what is your north star? 

Every day is entangled with mundane tasks and goals that need to be performed. We get up, we get the kids ready for school, we go to work, we return home, make dinner, go to bed and repeat it the next day. After a while it begins to feel like we are living in the movie Groundhog Day. 

If this is sounding familiar, may I suggest something to STOP the Groundhog Day cycle? 

What if we took time out to reflect and check in with our north star? Do you even have a north star? If not, how does one find their north star? 

In a book written by Rick Hansen, PhD, Finding Your North Star, finding our north star can be as simple as taking time to reflect, meditate, or sit quietly with your thoughts. Ask, what is important to you? What drives your passion? What truth do you live by? 

You may also have multiple north stars at the same time, and they may change over time. As we close out another year, take time to connect with your north star. If you don’t have one … maybe it’s time to find it! 

As you reflect on the past year, ask yourself some questions. 

What goals did you have at the beginning of the year? Did you achieve any or all your goals? If not, reflect on why those goals were not met. 

Where do you see yourself going in 2024? How are you going to get there? What daily sacrifices need to be made to change the outcome of your upcoming year?

Don’t get caught living in Groundhog Day!

It's never too late to start on a new journey even in the darkest of days. You may feel like a nurse without a compass and no direction. Just look to your north star to guide you. 

Your north star will be your guiding light. 

 “What's the light that will guide you out of your own tangled woods both the woods ‘out there’ in the world and the ones ‘in here’ inside your mind?” 

- Rick Hanson, PhD, Finding Your Own North Star