Linda Ratner, RN MBA
Everyone is familiar with the expression, “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” But that is easier said than done in the real world, where you have bills to pay. Maybe the phrase should be “focus on finding what you love in what you are doing.”
Even the artist who loves to paint and can sell her commissions have to advertise, keep the books, and run the business. I would venture that every job has aspects that seem overpowering.
One day as a child, I watched as my brother cut his hand while sawing a piece of wood. There was blood everywhere, and when he cried out, “help!!!” I yelled back, “Noooooo!” and ran to the other side of the yard. The fear of blood was incapacitating to me. So how did I end up as an ER Nurse in a major trauma center?
My propensity includes a love of learning, caring for others, and sharing knowledge. I know this because a high school aptitude test determined this. Further, it suggested a career in law, education, or healthcare. Naturally, I immediately ruled out healthcare. However, fate had other plans for me—destiny and my coworker, Julie. Julie was in nursing school and loved it, and she was so inspiring and supportive that she convinced me to enroll. Overcoming my fear of blood was no small obstacle, but I was successful with time, effort, and support and found myself in a career I loved.
Have you ever noticed that different people doing the same job in the same office would have unique “go-to’s”? What is a “go-to”? A Go-to is the unique aspect of a job that someone does better than anyone else in the office and enjoys doing. For example, we employed three receptionists at our clinic who greeted patients, verified insurance coverage, collected payments, and dealt with unhappy patients. The same job, but there was a “Go-to” employee who could better solve particular problems than others. One was a wizard dealing with the insurance companies, another had a knack for calling unhappy patients, and the third one was great at collecting past due fees. All loved their jobs and were great, but because they found their unique ability within the job, they excelled!
I worked as an RN for nearly twenty years before founding and running a medical clinic. In retrospect, I lacked the necessary business acumen and was a total financial illiterate. I wore so many hats that I had a change of clothes in my office to go from CEO to RN and back again at a moment’s notice. I had gone from loving my job to feeling trapped, extremely overworked, and unhappy.
Nothing changed until I changed my perspective. Instead of only focusing on making our customers and employees happy, I chose to care for them, and it changed everything. I could be frustrated with my lack of business acumen or use those gaps as a new curriculum to direct my love of learning. How I “cared” for them is a topic for another article.
Eventually, the clinics became successful, and I sold them to a national company. It was time for another career change. Armed with a deeper understanding of what drives me and satisfies me, I transitioned into a business coach and guide. Now, helping entrepreneurs achieve success in their business by teaching them how to implement powerful tools to create systems and processes satisfies me. A nurse, entrepreneur, and business consultant are all very different careers, but there are ways to apply one’s strengths and aptitudes to each to find what you love.
What about you? Start by taking stock of your God-given talents and aptitudes. Identify what you love and figure out how to apply that to what you are doing. Or in other words, focus on finding what you love in what you are doing.
Linda Ratner, RN MBA
Certified EOS Implementer
Certified Profit First Professional
Certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach
