"Are You Strong?"
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2VVkG2mMR1AKfE1fn6L2uxhdJu6t1-PvFEODBHeYD4sMVv-Tk1kRl5mOra2gbmtufKrRiWoWCU2Q0TgAPzjb25tDhVNqMAw7JcCCjatzgyrJIKXVoajfEeSUSKhbFj6Cij0chwXY9wkq/w640-h480/IMG_7967.jpeg)
A few months ago, someone I just met asked me that question. I wasn't sure if I should take offence, or just completely ignore the question. I thought, "How dare you ask me that question. You don't know me. You don't know how my journey has been" . For me, asking someone you barely know if they are strong is quite insensitive, if not rude. But, as I listened to what the person was saying, it became clearer to me why she asked that question. You see, I have been a nurse in the UK for almost two decades now. My journey has not been that easy. I went through an eye of a needle to get to where I am today. I have been rejected for multiple senior roles in favour of nurses less qualified than me. Less experienced than me. I was hurt, yes especially because I have shown nothing but loyalty to the workplace. But I didn't allow those failures to demotivate me. I continued to work hard with integrity until almost a decade later, when my biggest promotion came. I became