It's Not All About the Money
/But it sure can make a difference.
That is why I am engaging my right brain (or is it my left brain?!) this week in reviewing and proposing adjustments to our RN salary tables. Evaluating data, developing the best, worst and intermediate scenarios, and generally just getting the numbers right. If anyone ever tells you compensation is a black and white, void of interpretation and innuendo kind of a field - don't believe them. Actually it provides a great combination of right and left brain stuff with the numbers and the personal "how much do you value me" questions to keep me engaged. My thoughts? We need competitive wages to get in the game. Once there, we can take the salary question out of the equation so we can either resolve recruitment difficulties because it really was all about the salary, or enable us to get past the salary question to address any other underlying issues.
That is why I am at work today instead of lounging on a raft, floating down the Mississippi. You only need $40,000 to be happy and I bet that I could be happy on that, but I don't have to be, so I am not going to go there right now. My family would probably do fine with me bringing home less, but there are things we want to do and places we want to go and guess what, they take money and I want to do them.
That is why my six-year old gets an allowance each week. Half goes into pig bank for savings and the other into the dog bank (the one she made herself) for spending. Funny thing though, after only a few weeks, all of it has gone to the pig and the little candy aisle type items she just has to have "or else she'll die" don't seem that necessary when she has to spend her allowance on them. She is saving for a really big something - "a pink car."
That is why my husband and I are working with an absolutely awesome financial advisor, saving for the future and planning for the kid's education. We will retire about the time she graduates and it will be time to continue our travels and live in comfort. Because we are "older" we will have enough saved take care of ourselves so our daughter does not have to. Even though she says we will live in the nursing home together now, I am sure she will have other plans when the time comes :)
There is always more money to be had but the sacrifices and risks are not what I am willing to take at this point in my life and there will never be anything worth more to me than my family. The kid sent me flowers yesterday with a handwritten card - absolutely priceless. On that note, a whole week of vacation starts right now!
