Behind the Glass: The Nurse No One Sees 👓

Have you ever felt like you’re standing behind a one-way glass?
You can see everything that’s happening — the recognition, the awards, the praise your peers receive — but no one sees you.

You’re competent, reliable, compassionate, and deeply responsible. You show up, you deliver, you care. But when the spotlight shines, it somehow misses you.

I know this feeling because I lived it.

Years ago, I was a senior member of a team during a holiday celebration. Everyone was being recognized for their individual contributions — quality outcomes, patient satisfaction, retention. One by one, my colleagues received prizes.

Everyone except me.

My performance was excellent, as always. My evaluations, bonus, and merit increase were all strong. But in that moment, I was the only one overlooked.

I understood it was an oversight. Still, the sting went deeper. Why was I invisible?

Because I had made myself invisible.
I kept myself quiet, in the background, like a wallflower. People saw me when they needed something, but they didn’t see what I needed — because I didn’t allow myself to be seen.

Unspoken rules ran my life:

• Others matter more than me.
• Others deserve more than me.
• Others are just more than me.

And I accepted it as “just the way things are.”

Until one day, during a reorganization, I was told what my new role would be.
For the first time in my career, I said no.

No, that isn’t what I want.
No, that isn’t what I enjoy.
No, that isn’t even what I’m good at.

That day, I finally saw me. I acknowledged my own value. And in doing so, I gave myself the greatest prize of all: the freedom to build a life that lights me up, fills me with satisfaction, and still allows me to make a difference in the lives of others.

It feels liberating. It feels powerful. It feels like coming home to myself.

And it all started when I chose to step out from behind the glass.

👉 My question to you is this:

• When will you choose to see yourself?
• When will you step out from behind the glass and take your rightful place where your contributions, voice, and needs are visible?

If this story resonates with you, let’s talk. Together, we can uncover the unspoken rules that have kept you hidden and help you claim the freedom you deserve — without guilt.