I recently spent a year at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. When I arrived there, I was exhausted, broken, and damaged. I had recently undergone a traumatic event that for many reasons left my world flipped upside down. I was wounded. I was scared. I felt alone, so alone. I changed jobs from a place I had loved at one point in time. I had been employed there for 7 years, and that place was my life. That place suddenly became my place of terror and nightmares. I moved to a different state, Virginia. Virginia was a place I did not think about, it was a place that was foreign to me. A new start, new job, new environment, it was just the thing I needed and desired. I wanted to forget the devastation that occurred in my hometown of 20 years. You need to know when to stay and know when to go. This was my time to leave.
It was at Sentara that I began to find a purpose. Sentara became a place filled with love and support. That support began with IHC leadership and was carried throughout the entire Anatomic Pathology, Histology, Admin, and IHC staff. Some of these wonderful people are pictured here, some are not. Each one played a role. Each one played a part. The support and comfort I felt at Sentara are truly unparalleled. These people welcomed me with open arms. Once they learned of my situation, they showed me in every way that I was supported. Sentara Norfolk General Hospital is where my healing journey began. I was shown by the kindness of spoken or unspoken words and actions, for eight hours a day, that I was cared for.
This is why it is so important to surround yourself with supportive people. If you are going through difficult times, you need to be surrounded by people that are on your side. In your everyday life, it is essential, but in your work environment, it is too. You spend the majority of your time at work, 5 days, 40 hours, 2400 minutes, 144,000 seconds in your workplace. That is time you can never get back. That is time that can either be filled with positivity or negativity. The choice is yours. I chose to move away from the negativity of my previous job, the pain it caused, and the lack of concern. I walked into an environment that was filled with positivity. I was allowed to grow and flourish there. I was allowed to heal.
There is not enough emphasis on a positive work environment. A positive work environment is key to happiness, healing, and success. No work environment is perfect. There will be challenges and struggles to face every day. There will be grumpy people and bad attitudes to endure every day, that is just part of life. It helps you to deal with these situations when you deal with them together, when you have people to lean on, when you have people to help pick you up when you crumble apart.
I challenge you today to look at your work environment. Look at what surrounds you every day and the work that you do. Is it positive? Does it bring you joy? Do the people you work with support you and accept you? or Is it negative? Do you always get accused and beleaguered behind your back? Every day do you doubt yourself or belittle yourself because of the thoughts and comments of others? Stop and think, the choice is yours. Do you care about yourself enough to take that step? Are you at your breaking point and desperate for something else? In desperation, I took that step, and the reward that I received was priceless. The people I met were treasures. My life was changed forever.