Hello readers! I hope everyone has been in great spirits and if you haven't been I hope that you are taking the necessary time to breathe and unwind.
The title of this topic is pretty much self explanatory however, I will briefly share some of my story. I chose to follow the path of becoming an Orthodontist when I was in the 5th grade. I was intrigued by the work of my family general dentist and his genuine concern for my brother's and my education. I was always fascinated by the degrees that were hanging on the walls in his practice, knowing what I know now I had no idea as to what it actually required to achieve those degrees. I took off the initial semester of college following high school, and the early years of my college career involved some semesters on and off due to the circumstances that were taking place in my life during those times (moving from one state school attempting to enroll into another). Despite all the obstacles I had to face concerning school, I was privileged to volunteer at an under served public dental clinic for several months. The phones rang non-stop there, there were always 85+ voice mails waiting to be returned, and on the other end of the line were potential patients in need of emergency dental attention who would not get an opportunity to be seen and treated at the clinic due to a high patient demand and not enough dentists. My eyes were opened to how much the dental field needed future dentists and to the numerous patient lives I would one day be able to affect using my hands to ease a person's toothaches and severe mouth pains.
Although I had my plans mapped out since the 5th grade I certainly didn't anticipate being a non-traditional student. That's life! right? I never lost sight of my goals and visions during the ups and downs of the early parts of my college career and even the current trials I still face today as a student mom. One driving force to pursuing my dreams is my son and facilitating him in living a childhood that I always dreamed of being able to aspire to and afford my children. You must have a WHY when you are making life changing decisions, if you keep your WHY fresh and relevant in your mind you will find the courage and strength to push during the hard times when it feels like the payoff will never manifest. It doesn't make any sense to invest all of your precious time, energy, and brainpower trying to pursue ANY endeavors that you are not wholeheartedly interested in. How un-fulfilling is it to pursue someone else's dream and build their goal while you allow your's to fall by the wayside? Sure, there may be sacrifices. Well... by now we're friends so let's just be honest with each other there will be sacrifices. Lol. Sometimes you may even want to cry and I'm not talking about a small little tear rolling down your eyes, I'm talking about that ugly cry that you only want God to see, ever. Lol. Embrace those moments when you feel like you're hanging on by the skin of your teeth or the tips of your fingernails and then when you survive the trial look back and laugh at yourself for being a chicken. Thank God for grace!
Still unsure about what your specific goals and/or dreams are? As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe in the power of meditation. I believe that centering your thoughts and aligning yourself with the spirit that lies within you is key to sustaining your success. Give yourself permission to take a break and relax. You can't hear God talking to you if your mind is constantly running in overdrive. Hearing God's instruction on the next step to take is imperative. Do you ever wonder why you feel like you're just spinning your wheels all day? It's because you aren't enjoying what the present moment has to offer you, instead you're thinking about the problems you want to solve two weeks from now. Take three peaceful 10-minute intervals out of your day or one 30-minute block to quiet your thoughts and get back to that small still voice that is there to guide you in the direction in which you should be going. If you take the direction of that small still voice it will cause doors of opportunity to open and your intentions to be those of God's nature and will.
The title of this topic is pretty much self explanatory however, I will briefly share some of my story. I chose to follow the path of becoming an Orthodontist when I was in the 5th grade. I was intrigued by the work of my family general dentist and his genuine concern for my brother's and my education. I was always fascinated by the degrees that were hanging on the walls in his practice, knowing what I know now I had no idea as to what it actually required to achieve those degrees. I took off the initial semester of college following high school, and the early years of my college career involved some semesters on and off due to the circumstances that were taking place in my life during those times (moving from one state school attempting to enroll into another). Despite all the obstacles I had to face concerning school, I was privileged to volunteer at an under served public dental clinic for several months. The phones rang non-stop there, there were always 85+ voice mails waiting to be returned, and on the other end of the line were potential patients in need of emergency dental attention who would not get an opportunity to be seen and treated at the clinic due to a high patient demand and not enough dentists. My eyes were opened to how much the dental field needed future dentists and to the numerous patient lives I would one day be able to affect using my hands to ease a person's toothaches and severe mouth pains.
Although I had my plans mapped out since the 5th grade I certainly didn't anticipate being a non-traditional student. That's life! right? I never lost sight of my goals and visions during the ups and downs of the early parts of my college career and even the current trials I still face today as a student mom. One driving force to pursuing my dreams is my son and facilitating him in living a childhood that I always dreamed of being able to aspire to and afford my children. You must have a WHY when you are making life changing decisions, if you keep your WHY fresh and relevant in your mind you will find the courage and strength to push during the hard times when it feels like the payoff will never manifest. It doesn't make any sense to invest all of your precious time, energy, and brainpower trying to pursue ANY endeavors that you are not wholeheartedly interested in. How un-fulfilling is it to pursue someone else's dream and build their goal while you allow your's to fall by the wayside? Sure, there may be sacrifices. Well... by now we're friends so let's just be honest with each other there will be sacrifices. Lol. Sometimes you may even want to cry and I'm not talking about a small little tear rolling down your eyes, I'm talking about that ugly cry that you only want God to see, ever. Lol. Embrace those moments when you feel like you're hanging on by the skin of your teeth or the tips of your fingernails and then when you survive the trial look back and laugh at yourself for being a chicken. Thank God for grace!
Still unsure about what your specific goals and/or dreams are? As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe in the power of meditation. I believe that centering your thoughts and aligning yourself with the spirit that lies within you is key to sustaining your success. Give yourself permission to take a break and relax. You can't hear God talking to you if your mind is constantly running in overdrive. Hearing God's instruction on the next step to take is imperative. Do you ever wonder why you feel like you're just spinning your wheels all day? It's because you aren't enjoying what the present moment has to offer you, instead you're thinking about the problems you want to solve two weeks from now. Take three peaceful 10-minute intervals out of your day or one 30-minute block to quiet your thoughts and get back to that small still voice that is there to guide you in the direction in which you should be going. If you take the direction of that small still voice it will cause doors of opportunity to open and your intentions to be those of God's nature and will.