Thirty years ago, I made $7.32/hour plus a $1/hour shift differential working as a licensed practical nurse while going to school full time for my undergraduate education. Today, it would be a crime to pay a nurse that low of an hourly wage but the truth is, not much has changed about how nurses work and how they get paid versus what they are worth. Yes, the hourly pay is higher now but why is it that even when we earn more per hour we don’t seem to get ahead financially? Today the average nurse in America takes home $5,037.00 per month.
Don’t be fooled by the old adage that says it is not how much you make it is how much you keep. That is sound advice if you want to master the art of frugality but first, you will like to make more so that you can hopefully keep more. If you want to double your income then keep reading and see if you agree that the secret to earning more is not working more hours, getting a second or third job nor getting a higher degree.
Your Job can not truly afford you and a raise is trap
Can a nurse really earn more and get ahead financially? Sure, with just one shift in perspective and the application of a powerful question. Today, two jobs and may be school or the attempt to start a business sucks up our time, challenges our relationships and puts our health at risk. The secret to earning more is mastering how you spend time and how to extract the maximum value out of your duties as a nurse. The truth is that your job cannot afford you. Your current pay is not a representation of the value of your skills. Your current pay is compensation for your time away from home and the people who you care about. Don’t ask for a raise, it is a trap because a significant raise comes with more responsibilities which sucks up your time. The American lifestyle code is programmed to raise your expenses when your income rises so a raise traps you. You need to keep the job to make the money to keep up with the demands of your life style and your multiple roles and responsibilities both personally and professionally. Breaking this cycle seems hard but it is easy once you master two things; time and activities.
Shift in perspective…….Change How You Look At Your Job
How much time are you spending at work and what activities at your job really add to your knowledge base or skill set? Are you at work just doing time so that you can get a paycheck in exchange or are you at work making a difference and learning the most and moving your career to another level?
Change the way you look at your job and the job that you look at will change. Look at your current job as a place to try out your business skills. Learn everything you can learn. Work as if you own the company. Give it your all. Come early, leave later and spend that extra time giving what I call the B.P.O. …. the Best Possible Outcome no matter if you are being paid for it or not.
Once you change your perspective or view point about your “job” then ask yourself this question; how do I want to be remembered? This question is important because it makes you think about life, your career and your work life balance. Are you working two jobs just to pay bills and or keep up a particular life style or would you like to have a career, a thriving business, work life balance, time with those you love and freedom to do what inspires and moves you? A nurse can never become financially independent unless he/she owns a business that makes money when he/she is asleep or at play. The good news is that nursing is a lot like business. The same set of skills you use in the nursing process is the same set of skills you use in the business world. So how does a nurse find the right business of him/herself? Think about the things that you enjoy doing and then find a mentor to help you identify a service (out of the things you enjoy doing) that you can turn into a business. For example, if you like coordinating or telling others what to do, you could start a service business. For me, I like to exercise so my very first business was in personal training and physical fitness. I have since transferred that activity to being an expert in the care of those with movement disorders. Because it is something I love doing, it does not feel like work and I get paid handsomely because I have become the best at it. My fitness business did not grow because I could not create an extension of myself. If I was not there to provide the service then I did not make money. That is why caregiving is the fastest and easiest way to double and triple your income in a very short period of time. Yes, you can double your income (working the same or less than you do now) by starting a caregiving business.