 Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. She is legendary for tons of reasons, including improving conditions at a British-based hospital, thus reducing the death count significantly, sparking worldwide healthcare reform through her writings and establishing San Thomas Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for nurses. When Florence initially told her parents Frances Nightingale and William Short Nightingale that she wanted to be a nurse, they forbade her to pursue nursing, especially because they were wealthy and wanted her to marry a rich man, not pursuing a job that, in Victoria era, was viewed as lowly. In today's video, I will be sharing with you lessons about life from Florence Nightingale. Subscribe to this channel so you don't miss other interesting videos like this. 1. Attribute my success to this. I never gave or took any excuse. In an era when nursing was despised and respect for parents and culture was high, Florence Nightingale, against all odds, chose to leave behind the wealth she could have had, the shame of being despised and the neglect of her family members to pursue a career that seemed uncertain. She could have used all of this as an excuse not to pursue her life's dream, but she didn't. All that mattered was focusing so much on the career she had chosen and which she was convinced about. Each time we don't become all we ought to be, it isn't that we couldn't have become. It is that we chose to accept and believe excuses. Things may not be as perfect as we expect them to be on our way to becoming all we are supposed to be, but we allow ourselves to be held by excuses and so never achieve much. Excuses are self-defensive lies. We are not all we can be because we have chosen to believe this is all we can be. When we choose to admit it, we will know that there is nothing in the world that can hold back any man who has chosen never to accept or give excuses for following his dreams. We will always have very good reasons not to try. We are the ones who will choose to ignore those reasons. 2. So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard seed germinates and roots itself. This is a bit of simple but very powerful advice. Little drops of water eventually make the ocean. Little steps will build into something wonderful every great thing started small. This is why waiting for the perfect time to act is never going to work. The best time to fill is when we are not popular and when we are just starting out. At that point, we gather all the lessons we need to build us up for a repeatedly successful future. We learn our greatest lessons not in times of success but in times of trial. Yet, most do not want to experience this and so they do all they can to lay out perfect plans on how they would succeed. No matter how perfect your plan to succeed is, something will always come in between. You must always be prepared for this unknown as it is what makes for most success. Too many times we must be willing to go down the valley if we must get up to the mountain. We must be willing to take baby steps if we must climb up. 3. I think once feelings waste themselves and words, they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results. Florence Nightingale. Despite her parents' angry objections, she enrolled at the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Faldner in Kaiserwerth, Germany as a nursing student in 1844. During the Crimean War, Nightingale constantly worked at a British-based hospital, earning her the nicknames The Angels of the Crimea and The Lady with a Lamp, because she made nighttime rounds to tend to patients while carrying a lamp. Using her experiences in the Crimea, she read an 830-page report on proposed reforms for military hospitals with poor conditions. Upon coming back home, she was treated as a hero, and the Queen gave her an engraved brooch, now known as the Nightingale Jewel, along with $250,000. She used the money to fund the hospital and a nurse training school. To this day, she still revered as a hero, and that's why she's inspirational. She overcame everything life through at her, from her parents' disapproval to the war hospitals, terrible conditions and return with grace, charity and hospitality. She could have focused on problems in front of her, complained about them, and used them as an excuse not to pursue her dreams. Instead, Florence Nightingale chose to pursue her heart's desire at the detriment of being despised by society. The world may not agree with you, but as long as you are convinced about your dreams, all that matters is you agreeing with yourself and going after what is right for yourself and the good of all. Actions alone, not words, achieve dreams. 4. How Very Little Can Be Done Under the Spirit of Fear, Florence Nightingale Nobody achieved anything great while allowing fear. In fact, most dreams are crushed because of fear. Think about this. What if Florence Nightingale had allowed fear to control her? What if she had succumbed to the pressure of her day? What if she had allowed the castigations of others to sweep into her? Today, the nursing profession would still be despised, and many lives that could have been saved would have been lost, all because a woman refused to pursue her dreams because of fear. Fear can either be your motivation to succeed or a reason for you to hold back your choice, but everything we ever want is on the other side of fear. 5. Rather 10 times die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world rather than standing idly on the shore. Only the bold achieve success. There is an anecdote I heard about lions. When traditional men are trying to capture a lion and they have it cornered, the lion admits it's going to die, but it starts to look for the man who is fearful amongst the group. It pounces on this one. If you're not bold, you can catch a lion. In the same way, if you're not bold, you can achieve success. You can either wait and hope your voice gets heard, or you can choose to launch out in boldness. British billionaire and entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson said, the brave may not leave forever, but the cautious do not leave at all. If this video inspired you, like the video. We love you.