You know that doctorate professor who is more pulled together than you thought possible? She has a Ph.D. in a field that demands respect. Her husband is high up in his field and prominent in the community. Have their children ever made a mistake? Nope, they’re probably perfect too. You're holding two cups of coffee and dropping your books, stumbling to get to class on time. It’s not bad in the least to appear perfect, but it’s vital to remember to step back and keep in mind we’ve already failed when it comes to the point of perfection. We need to keep things in a different perspective, not the view of others’ success over our own, but the perspective of what’s important.

Life is full of battles. Some fights are to make life a little bit better for ourselves and those around us. Others are for lives. If someone tells you things will always go smoothly, then they're lying. Someone told me that's how we know we're alive and I can't argue with that. My goal isn’t to tell you how much better life will be if you start to be 100% optimistic (though studies have found it can help with your overall health). I’m telling you to look at the joy along the way and appreciate it. One of the patients I’ve been around has a lot going on with this person that is overwhelming even for me to think through. This person still smiles and still has hope. I’ve spent time with them to know it’s genuine.

The slip-ups, the minor frustrations I’ve faced are minuscule. I’m not writing this on top of the world right now; I’m writing this because I feel like we all need a reminder. Maybe it’s a patient with poly-pharmacy and several co-morbidity conditions, or it’s one point that can be said through me that I can drive home to you. A small wake up call reminds you you there are several reasons to find worth living, but everything comes back to hope that forms a lasting joy. We can choose to let no one steal our joy, not our everlasting optimism.

It can get hard to see people pass away. But on one of the most complex and special hospital units, there’s a nurse who said that nurses are a part of the answer to this broken world. If this nurse can say that after what they’ve experienced first-hand and still keep the joy she has every time I’ve been around her, then I can definitely find a purpose to every mundane or crazy complicated task. Throw in engineers, volunteer community workers, tax accountants, janitors, and all the rest.

We tend to think if we don’t measure up to the Ph.D. professor, who always looks fantastic at 6:00 a.m., then we’re failing. The truth is, turn in the work and let God take the rest away. Sometimes, it’s still not enough. You leave the hospital with a pool of sweat and you still didn’t change the outcome. Or you're even are thrown some penalty your way when you had nothing to do with the root cause. I’m not telling you to be happy, because I'm sure not. I’m asking myself to keep my motivation and remember God has an individual plan mapped out for my life. There's other people here, but no one else can control the choices, and everyone person you pass has their own struggles. I want to lay that out for you and move forward from any shortcomings. There's a reason to live and always room to continue to make a difference in the plan God has for you. What else are we really here for? Let’s remember to keep joy in perspective.