Whatever Is Meant To Be... Will Be.

I just got the results from an exam in nursing school that I was so STRESSED OUT and sick to my stomach over... and I PASSED!!!

I am not posting this to brag, but because this semester has given me a run for my money. Hours of studying, long days of early mornings and late nights. Last week, I felt like I hit rock bottom. Defeated. I cried every single day, and was sure that my future in nursing was done. I even went so far as to make a list of back up career options, as a "just in case".

Being 28 years old, living at home, and barely being able to work due to the demands of school is tough. Throw in the possibility of all your hard work, thousands of dollars in student loans, and your future career path thrown down the drain... and it's a recipe for feeling pretty lost.

Some may think that is a bit dramatic, but I will say that to date, my track record on exams has been just below the percentage mark we need. It's embarrassing and disheartening to keep falling short, time after time.

Especially when I KNOW I will make a great nurse!

However, something changed the other day. I was sitting at a stoplight, and had an "a-ha" moment. I realized how silly I was being for focusing on the worst possible outcome. I've come way too far to turn back now. I decided to change my outlook, pick myself up, and give it my absolute best. A few tears of exhaustion later, my hard work finally shined through!

It just goes to show that when you want something bad enough, you will do your absolute best knowing you couldn't have possible done any more. If the end result is meant to be, it will be.

Shine Bright, My Fellow Coffee Lover.

*google image.

Sitting here in silence listening to the soft hum of my Keurig as it heats up the water for my second cup of Vanilla Starbucks coffee. A warm cup of delight. Delicious. My puppy is cuddled up next to me with a slew of her toys, and the washer is quietly cleaning our well-worn clothes. I silently wonder if this is what my life will look like with kids?! Only a little less silent, I'm sure.

I have so many emotions running through my mind this morning, and a persistent fire that is burning deep in my soul. I have a passion... a huge passion. It comes from the heart and it's so real, I can feel it. I want to help people. I love to help people.

Most people who know me really well will tell you I was very shy growing up. I still am to an extent, but I've come a long way. I hated being the center of attention, was embarrassed far too easily, and was so very quiet in social situations, it was as if I wasn't even there. I feared saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing... you name it. I focused far too much of my time and effort into what other people thought of me, that I failed to grasp my own personality. My drive. My passion. I knew I was meant for more, but I had no idea where to start.

High school came and went, and I headed off to college for a life changing, eye-opening, best 4 years of my young adult life. I met some lifelong friends, grew into my own person, and began finding my voice... and subsequently, my way. After graduation, I worked odds and ends jobs... reapplied to school, changed my major a few times, and landed in nursing. It's a perfect career move for me because it encompasses my passion of helping people with my delight of giving back to the community. But it doesn't stop there...

My love of health, fitness, mind, body, and soul led me to Beachbody Coaching, which led me to meet even more amazing friends that have become like family. I have found a way to see the positive in a world full of negatives. I am slowly recapturing the drive I once sought out as a young girl, desperate to figure out my "path" in life.

It's funny, you know... how you can find something--or someone--and you just know it is what you are meant for. Your reason for waking up each day and seizing every moment. Failing forward. Constantly learning, growing, and living with purpose.

I can't even count the number of times I was told I would never succeed. That I was making a mistake by going into nursing, becoming a Beachbody Coach, etc. etc. This told to me by people who failed to see my drive for the desires God has placed in my heart. I am blessed that I have found my niche, and am lucky to have my best friend/soulmate by my side for the journey.

I may not have it all together, but together [with God] I have it all. He will not fail me. I trust in his plan.

As one of my favorite authors (Holley Gerth) says in her book You Were Made for a God-Sized Dream, "There's a God-sized dream knocking on the door of your heart. This is your moment. Now is your time [to shine]."

Go out there and chase your wildest dreams.

Give it your all.

"Small, smart choices + consistency + time = a radical difference!"

-Darren Hardy