by California Casualty | Nurses |
Have you lost the happy feeling that your job used to bring? Are you already annoyed by the thought of your job? Let’s find that joy and smile that you once had from being a nurse.
These 5 tips can make you feel more passionate about nursing:
1. Find a Support System. If you hate your job, most likely you will withdraw from the people that you work with. Research shows that your co-workers are the number one reason for loving your job. Find people that have similar interests and values as you. Don’t be afraid to make the first move of initiating a conversation. Smile. Offer help. Be a part of a community.
2. Let It Go. Being a nurse involves a ton of emotions. You, like a sponge, absorb some patient’s pain and that can take a toll. Learn that a patient’s struggle isn’t personal towards you and let that stress go. Focus on the best parts of the day, the good you’ve done for your patients.
3. Avoid Games. Don’t get sucked into office politics. It can be an easy trap to fall into but avoid at all costs. Take the different road and find a different joy in games on your phone or new hobbies.
4. Follow the Sunshine. Work can feel like a beat down after a while. So through the darkness, search for the sunshine. Find the joy in the office. Ask to help with a project or co-worker.
Finding joy in your job is a choice and takes practice. There will be hard days but look for the positive in each one. Remember the hobbies and happiness that is outside of work too.
5. Create a Bucket List – Nurse-Style. Focusing on the nursing goals you want to accomplish can serve as a source of inspiration. While you’re at it, why not make a list of the things you’ve already accomplished in your career – starting with making it through nursing school. Keep your lists with you and refer back to them when you feel the nursing blahs come on. You’ve done a lot and grown as a nurse, so give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
What helps you get through the hard days? Share with us in the comments.
by California Casualty | Educators |
The end of the school year is hectic. Assemblies, field trips, awards ceremonies, and celebrations seem to fill up the calendar during that last month. Your “To-Do” list is a mile long filled with tasks that need to be completed before the end of the year. Why not add just a few more important items? Don’t forget to accomplish these things before the end of the school year.
Plan Ahead for Professional Development
Many teachers are so busy during the school year that professional development is not a priority. Summer is a more convenient time to squeeze in those professional development hours. Check out the graduate level continuing education courses given by your local university. Online coursework is a great option if you’re planning to work over the summer break. Enroll in coursework that will benefit you. Some school districts may even have a tuition reimbursement program.
Clean Out and Organize Your Desk and Classroom
Nothing feels better than leaving for summer vacation, except when you leave for summer vacation with a clean and organized classroom. Purge what you don’t use. I use the one year rule: if I haven’t used it in a year, it goes. If the items you are purging are in good shape, offer them to colleagues so they don’t end up in the trash. Organize what you want to keep. Take ten minutes at the end of every day, from now until the end of the year, to focus on one area of your classroom. Start with your desk and move around the room from there. By the end of the year, you’ll have a classroom you can feel good about coming back to after summer break!
Thank Your Teammates
You can’t do this job without your coworkers. Let them know how much you enjoyed and appreciated working them with a simple gift or thank you note. Potted plants, homemade goodies, or even a simple from-the-heart note are all great ways to say “Thank You For A Great Year!”
Treat Yourself!
The taste of summer vacation is lingering in the air! You’ve made it. Treat yourself for your hard work before those last weeks of school. Get a massage. Eat at your favorite restaurant. Go get that book you’ve been meaning to read. Grab some appetizers during happy hour while you toast to another successful school year in the books. Or, if you’re anything like me, get a babysitter and take a long nap. After your personal pampering, you can return to school feeling rejuvenated to finish up the last weeks of school like a boss!
May the end of your school year be productive and positive. Cheers!
by California Casualty | Educators |
As a busy educator, your journey through life offers new adventures at every turn: enriching students, finding work/life balance and giving back to your community.
The “Wherever Your Journey Takes You…We’ll be There” Sweepstakes is a reminder of the importance of having the right insurance for every stage of life:
- New teacher
- Just married
- Growing family
- Teen drivers
- Empty nester
- Retirement
Make sure you have the right insurance for the detours or bumps in the road – and enjoy the ride in a new Dodge Journey – visit www.WinAJourney.com
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
You’ve just received another rent increase from your landlord and you’re starting to wonder if it’s time to buy a home or condo. That’s the question many people are asking as rents continue to escalate across the nation. Buying a home is not for everyone, however, if you are wondering if it makes financial sense, here are some indicators that it may be time to purchase your own place.
The average mortgage payment in the U.S. is now less than the average rent. The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the U.S. is $1,330. But if you are in a high-cost city like San Francisco or Seattle, rents can run as high as $5,000. Renters in Austin, Chicago or Denver can expect to pay $2,000 or $3,000 for that same two-bedroom apartment. Rents have skyrocketed in many cities across the country; so high that many of us are paying 50 to 60 percent (or even more) of our income just to keep a roof over our heads. Most financial experts say you should only pay 20 to 30 percent of your income for rent, so something is out of whack.
When you weigh that against the average mortgage payment in the country, which is just over $1,100 a month (obviously higher in cities such as New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.), and mortgage loan rates that continue dropping into the 3 percent range, home affordability looks better and better. With a fixed mortgage your monthly costs stay the same over the term of the loan, unlike rents which can (and usually do) go up at the end of the lease.
Other economic factors that lean towards buying a home:
- Rents are predicted to rise 2 percent each year, eating more out of your paycheck
- Housing prices are rising, meaning they are a good investment against inflation
- More couples are having children and planning on buying a home, which may create shortages and push home prices even higher
- The costs associated with purchasing a home aren’t much more than first and last month’s rent, application fees and the security deposit required for most rental situations
Proponents of renting site the lack of maintenance and repair costs, as well as the freedom to move to a new area as reasons not to buy. However, renters never gain equity and they miss out on the tax advantages homes afford.
If you still have doubts, Trulia and Zillow have calculators that clearly show the current cost of buying a home is much less than renting. Run the numbers and see for yourself.
Before you buy, these are important things to consider:
- Length of stay – unless you are investing in a rising market, you should plan on staying in that home for at least five to seven years
- Down payment – to avoid mortgage insurance you will need 20 percent down; that may drain your funds
- Don’t forget about closing costs – you can often negotiate with the seller on these but there will still be inspection, title company and real estate commissions to be paid and they can add up to thousands of dollars
- Costs related to owning a home – local taxes, maintenance, repairs and insurance all add to the monthly mortgage so make sure you factor these into your budget
But there are other benefits beyond the budget to being a homeowner. You get to paint it the colors you like, knock out walls or add a room, change appliances and create the landscape plan of your dreams.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Calcas Connection, In Your Community |
California Casualty supports the many groups we work with in a variety of ways.
Recently, Partner Relations team members Brian Goodman and Tami Phillips paid a special visit to the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. They presented a token of our appreciation for the group’s heroic efforts during the disastrous fires that struck in October 2017. The deputies not only put their lives on the line for others, but also opened their facility to help coordinate firefighting and support efforts. SCDSA President Mike Vail accepted the plaque for all of the members of the association. A similar presentation was made at the Marin County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
Another program California Casualty is proud to sponsor is the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Junior Firefighter of the Year and Junior Firefighter Program of the Year awards.
Please join us in congratulating the winners: Jared Hagen, of the Northwest Fire Explorer Post 1854 in Ohio, is the 2018 Junior Firefighter of the Year, and the 2018 Junior Firefighter Program of the Year is being given to North Carolina’s Gaston Volunteer Fire Department Junior Firefighter Program. They will be formally honored April 20.
In addition, California Casualty has given athletics grants to public schools since 2011. This year, student-athletes at 79 public middle schools and high schools in 32 states will enjoy a more level playing field thanks to the 2018 California Casualty Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant Program.
Pictured L to R: California Casualty’s Scott McKenna presenting a Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant to Somersworth Middle School softball coach Kaley Waterman, Principal Dana Hilliard with NEA New Hampshire representative Jeff Kantorowski.
Grants totaling just over $83,000 are going to help sports programs impacted by diminishing resources and budget cuts. Some examples include:
- Purchasing a tackling and blocking sled to improve safety for the Crosby High School (Connecticut) football team
- Outfitting the Somersworth Middle School (New Hampshire) softball team with new uniforms
- Providing soccer and track and field equipment for the Santan Junior High School (Arizona) ADAPTS sports program for autistic students
- Supplying balls and basic equipment for the Matt Garcia Career and College Academy (California) volleyball and basketball teams
More than $660,000 has been awarded to some 600 schools across the nation since the program began.
TAKEAWAY:
Learn more about the many ways California Casualty gives back to the individuals and groups that we serve by visiting www.calcas.com/newsroom.
Read all the articles from this edition of the Calcas Connection Newsletter: