“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.”
Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821
French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century.
AMBITION by Ron Noecker
Providing healthcare for people is a special kind of job with different levels of authority, like most jobs. There’s a natural desire to be ambitious and want to climb the ladder. I know that desire is made up of having to prove oneself at lower levels and in its own way is a good thing because providing healthcare is professional work that needs expertise.
At the same time, I don’t want my ambition to distract me from attending to those small details that make my care for others better. They may not always be noticed by my superiors but being seen is not why I do what I do. I want to have the ambition to provide the most attention I can to those who need healing and my care for them.
I think my attention to details for patients may not be the fastest way to climb the ladder, but it is the way with the most integrity. Whether I am caring for my colleagues or my patients, concern that is not motivated by my own personal goals but rather from a heart that loves others, is worth a slower rise to the top.
Highest Heavens, let my ambition to succeed be motivated out of a desire to live at the bottom. Recognizing the dignity of every person, help me to find joy in being there for others when others have gone away. AMEN.
ACTION: How ambitious have you been in your career on a scale of 1 to 10? Has that been a good thing for you? Talk to someone this week who is just beginning their career about ambition.
Learn more about the above photo by Rosanna McGarrahan below. Our thanks to Rosanna for use in this series called, “Holding the Tension.” Credit is given for the influence provided in “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown in these reflections. Learn more atBreneBrown.com.
Nursing Heart Friends,
One of the greatest things to see in our work,is a community actively involved in its own self-development. Our Clinical Director,César Santos, stated;
“[During the most recent medicinal plant sessions in Pacoxpón] … All attendees were collaborators with respect to the preparation, and it was very emotional to see the participation of both the women and the men who attended.”
Community members preparing the natural ingredients
Report from César:
The first medicinal plant session was a PowerPoint introduction on individual medicinal plants, where 60 people representing families attended and each person took home a medicinal plant for their garden.
The second was an interactive session in partnership with Nestor Toj, a trainer from Codesmaj (The development committee of San Martín Jilotepeque) where the community learned how to make a natural antibiotic ointment.
Nestor Toj divided the training into two parts. In the first, he explained each ingredient, its medicinal properties, and what would be the function of each ingredient in the healing ointment. In the second, each person prepared and cooked the ingredients, and eventually prepared the ointment. All 39 of the attendees received a container of the natural healing ointment and were asking to next learn to make shampoo.
With the finished product, a natural antibiotic ointment
Blanqui, our pharmacist, stated with enthusiasm:
“The women were impressed by the project and even started thinking of ways they could make and sell these products to bring in financial help to their families.”
It’s great to see the work the team are performing in building these relationships and partnerships with the rural communities of Guatemala. This is one of the reasons why we love what we do and we love the communities we serve.
Jade Parker-Manderson & the ACE team xx
If you would like to make a donation to one of our communities and/or support our health programs you canmake a donationor contact me directly for more information atjade@nursingheart.org.
Quote of the Week
“Ambition gives dreams their wings.”
Olivia Boice, Lauren Manning, Emma Plymel, and Natalie Snyder Clemson University Nursing Students Clemson, South Carolina
About the PhotographerRosanna L. Kunkel McGarrahan is retired now after a long and varied work life. She writes,”I worked for Washington State, spent 8 years in the Air Force as a Chinese Linguist, and then nearly 27 years as an oncology nurse. I have always loved to travel, beginning with a year in Japan during high school. I love to see new places and make new friends. I still have my best friends since first grade. My friendship with my English Penpal has also lasted nearly 55 years. People say that I have a ‘passion for life.’ I just like to live life to the fullest and still have a long ‘bucket list.’ As exciting as my life has been so far, nothing compares to holding a newborn grandchild in my arms for the first time.
