10 Lies You Will Hear Before You Pursue Your Dreams

Unfortunately, just before you take your first step on the righteous journey to pursue your dreams, people around you, even the ones who deeply care for you, will give you awful advice.  It’s not because they have evil intentions.  It’s because they don’t understand the big picture – what your dreams, passions, and life goals mean to you.  They don’t understand that, to you, the reward is worth the risk.

So they try to protect you by shielding you from the possibility of failure, which, in effect, also shields you from the possibility of making your dreams a reality.

As our friend Steve Jobs says:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”

Here are 10 ill-advised tips (lies) people will likely tell you when you decide to pursue your dreams, and why they are dreadfully mistaken.

1.            You can follow your dreams someday, but right now you need to buckle down and be responsible. – Someday?  When is ‘someday?’  Someday is not a day at all.  It’s a foggy generalization of a time that will likely never come.  Today is the only day guaranteed to you.  Today is the only day you can begin to make a difference in your life.  And pursuing your dreams is what life is all about.  So don’t be irresponsible.  Don’t wait until ‘someday.’  Make today the first day of the rest of your new life.

2.            You’re totally screwed if it doesn’t work out. – Wrong!  This is a giant, lame load of BS.  You’re not even close to being screwed.  In fact, the worst case scenario is that things don’t work out and you have to go back to doing exactly what you are doing right now.

3.            It’s safer to stay at your day job. – Sure, I suppose.  But you know what’s even safer than that?  Going home, locking yourself in your bedroom, and never, ever coming out.  And just like that you will have flushed your entire life and your dreams down the toilet.  Remember, safer doesn’t always mean better.

4.            That’s impossible! – It’s only impossible if you never do anything about it.  The reason certain things seem impossible is simply because nobody has achieved them yet.  But this doesn’t mean that with your help these things won’t become possible in the future.  If you truly dedicate yourself to an end result, almost anything is possible.  You just have to want it bad enough.

5.            Only a lucky few “make it.” – That’s because those lucky few got off their rear ends and did something about it!  They had the drive, determination, and willpower that you have right now.  You can be one of them.  It’s up to you, and only you.

6.            You might fail.  And failing is bad. – Failures are simply stepping stones to success.  No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  If you can’t handle failure, then you can’t handle success either.

7.            You don’t have access to the right resources. – It’s not about having the right resources; it’s about exploiting the resources you do have access to.  Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.  Get it?

8.            You need more money saved before you can take the first step. – You don’t need more money.  You need a plan.  You need a budget.  Eliminate ALL the nonessential costs in your life.  If pursuing your dream requires you to leave your day job, figure out the absolute minimum amount of income that you require to realistically live.  Studying those who have succeeded with similar ventures also helps.  But above all, take baby steps.  Don’t be foolish and assume that you must have a certain amount of money saved right now, or that you must quit your day job today in order to pursue your dreams.  Instead, ask yourself, “What actions can I take right now with the money and resources I have right now that will bring me closer to desired goal?”

9.            You don’t need any help.  It’s smarter to go after it alone. – You are the sum of the people you spend the most time with.  If you hang with the wrong people, they will negatively affect you.  But if you hang with the right people, you will be far more capable and powerful than you ever could have been alone.  Find your tribe and work together to make a difference in all of your lives.

10.          That sounds like a lot of hard work. – You’re darn right it does!  But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.  I think success in life hinges on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing.  As long as you remain true to yourself and follow your own interests, values and dreams, you can find success through passion.  Perhaps most importantly, you won’t wake up a few years from now working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?”  So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions and dreams.

Disregard these misguided bits of nonsense and you’ll be well on your way to fulfilling your dreams.

Now get out there and make a splash!

(COURTESY: http://www.marcandangel.com)

Five Things You Love about You

I’m borrowing this idea from Downtown Dharma, because it’s an excellent exercise in self-love.

Could you list five things you love about yourself?

I’ll go first.

   1. I serve and love the Lord

   2. I can draw and paint.

   3. I care so much about people and will help them if I can.

   4. Good listener, very kind hearted and loving ^_^

   5. I find myself funny, and love to make others laugh, and cheer them up.

What I found surprising is the lull that I experienced between points #4 and #5. Seriously, it took all weekend to write this blog. I’d like to think I have pretty decent self-esteem, but even I fumbled at complimenting myself.

You’d think it would be easy to be nice to yourself, but self-criticism and judgment just comes more naturally to some. It takes nothing to look at the negative, but the positive is always ducking behind a tree.

Remember a moment in your life when you look in the mirror and go: “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough and cute and pretty/handsome, people like me? It was funny and cheesy… but it was kinda on to something.

When’s the last time you said something nice about yourself out loud? If it’s been a while (or maybe never), you’re long overdue.

You can’t wait for people to notice the good things about you. You have to recognize and celebrate them for yourself. I mean, after all, if you don’t like you, who else will? Loving oneself is the healthiest thing a person could do, you must love yourself first and have confidence in yourself. Then relationships, friendships being great at your job, at school will be an easy process.

One of my mother’s many words of advice is: “Speak positive things about yourself everyday.” So go for it. Don’t be shy; toot your own horn. List five things you love about yourself and post it below.

How To Quit Nursing in One Day

(Originally Posted at http://narsako.wordpress.com/)

No one can deny that the progress of the nursing profession here in the Philippines is on a downward trend. I’ve known this phenomenon ever since I have opened my eyes to the realities that surround our profession and I’m sick of it already. And when I say “I’m sick of it”, you better keep your mouth shut and don’t ask me why. Just look around and you will know the answer right away. I saw it coming back then but I still took the risk anyway. To this day, I can’t count how many times people have asked me this same 7-syllable question over and over again:

“Bakit ka ba nag-Nursing?”

It was asked by a co worker when I decided to file my resignation in a BPO company two months ago. It was asked by my sister who also just graduated this year and earned a bachelor’s degree in Radiologic Technology, which she boasts to be more financially rewarding  than Nursing abroad. It was asked by my high school classmates, friends, relatives, and virtually every people who knows I’m a registered nurse. Kung puwede lang irecord ang sagot ko para di na ko mapagod kakaexplain sa kanila, ginawa ko na noon pa. But I have no choice but to tell them honestly that I took the nursing course because it was in demand back then and that no one had forced me to do so. It is a typical answer that doesn’t make any sense as far as the present state of nursing employment is concerned. I remember when I shifted  from Biology to Nursing way back in 2006, I was bombarded with ideas  like “Hindi ka yayaman sa pagdodoktor”  , “Mag-nursing ka na lang” , and all that kind of ‘practical suggestions’, so to speak. I eventually took up Nursing, survived the gruelling studies coupled with rigorous clinical duties, and graduated early this year. I have discovered two things almost 5 years after I decided to take up nursing: One, I’m glad that I didn’t  take up Medicine because I fell in love with Nursing in the process and lastly, the idea that Nursing would lead to greener pasture was a trap and an eye-opener at the same time. It’s as if a reversal of nature is happening and the same people who gave me the aforementioned ‘practical suggestions’ are now telling me that  “Hindi ka yayaman kung magnunursing ka lang”, “Magdoktor ka na lang”  and all that kind of crappy stuff. Sometimes, I feel bad for earning the nursing degree at the wrong place and at the wrong time. I envy those nurses from the early generations  who got a lot of opportunities for them and I wonder if they are even aware that the words “volunteer” and “contractual” now represent the current batch of Filipino nurses.

 ”Bakit nga ba ako nag-Nursing?”

I can’t even think of a single best answer to satisfy this question but ironically, I can think of a lot of reasons (can even reach thousands!!haha) why I should quit NOW and pursue other rewarding career. How to quit Nursing in one day? Very simple: Always be pessimistic and know the following reasons by heart:

1. It’s tough to be a USRN. We all want to work in the US if given the chance. American nurses, they say, are one of the most financially blessed nurses nowadays but how the heck can someone like me become a USRN if the US is closing its doors for foreign applicants and even struggling to provide jobs for its own American nurses. I heard that they are now processing Visa applications from way back 2005 but this is more of a discouraging news for someone like me who doesn’t even have a financial capability to take NCLEX and pay for all the requirements not just for US and for other countries as well. Kung puwede lang na mag-asawa ako ng Kano..kahit girl, boy, bakla, or tomboy man  yan, papatusin ko na maging US citizen lang ako….

2. It’s tough to be a USRN but its even tougher to be accepted as a nurse in the Philippines. They always say every nurse should start from scratch and struggle to move upward. But how on earth can I start my career if I’m competing with thousands of nursing graduates for a hospital position that doesn’t even guarantee of a long-term employment? Ma-hire ka man,utang na loob mo pa sa hospital na may experience ka pero wala namang bayad. In addition to that, there will always be these so-called “backer system” and expensive training requirements to stand in my way. It’s quite frustrating that the government wasn’t able to regulate nursing schools during those times when nurses spread out like  gremlins, increasing it’s numbers over the years. And what do I do now? Taking endless search and endless trainings that will just lead me to an endless waiting time.  Kung meron lang sanang magic potion na puwede kong ilagay sa resume ko para iprioritize agad ng mga hospitals application ko….

3. It’s tough to be accepted as a nurse in our country but its tougher to stay working in the hospital. Nurses have a lot of issues why they quit working in the hospital. They are burned out, unpaid or underpaid, exploited, neglected, abused , and degraded by the hospital management. The dismal condition of nursing employment and the unfair nurse-patient ratio are  pests that will keep on recurring unless properly addressed. Nursing is a tough job so we can’t stay doing charity works for the rest of our lives. I’m tired of hearing cliche like “I want to be a nurse because I want to save lives” because there a lot of jobs out there that will allow you to save lives without even becoming a nurse. Admit it, we all want to be a nurse because we want better lives for our families one way or the other. And nurses didn’t spend thousands of pesos for their nursing studies para lang magtrabaho dito at kumita ng halagang mas malaki pa sweldo ng katulong.  Kung puwede lang na mabuhay uli si Florence Nightingale at maging presidente ng Pilipinas…..

4. It’s tough to be a nurse, period. I remember during the last day of my IVT Training at a Marikina hospital, the Director of Nursing shared how, at one point in her 20 years of professional life, she almost gave up and think of quitting Nursing for good. I was taken aback by her story and felt the hardships and trials she has faced during the span of her career. “Napakahirap maging nurse..tandaan nyo yan!” was her rant that has kept me thinking hard if my decision of quitting a high-paying job to go back to Nursing is the best decision for me. But look at her now and how her life turned out. She has climbed her way to the top and have realized that she has survived those tormenting days at the Pediatric Ward not because she had no choice but because her love for her profession is insurmountable. Kung puwede lang na lakas ng loob, sipag at diskarte na lang ang labanan sa Nursing, eh di sana marami na ring umasenso tulad ko…..

Again, one can quit nursing and decide to leave it for good in just one day. How? By just allowing oneself to get discouraged easily by those reasons above. I, at one point in my life, hated Nursing and almost quit. But in the long run, I have realized that not every one can be a nurse and I couldn’t see myself doing other jobs in the future. I love caring people and I want to grow professionally even if the promise of working abroad is bleak for now. Are these reasons enough to make me a genuine nurse? I don’t have any idea. I just love what I’m doing and I know that Nursing is not all about money and benefits in the first place. It’s about being human and following what your heart wants you to do. I have a lot of what if’s and doubts about the future. Can a weakling like me have the courage and skills to withstand the rocky road of the nursing profession? I can’t answer it myself. The future might be gloomy for now but at the end of the day, it’s not who I was in the past but who I choose to be for the rest of my life that will matter significantly. I have the choice to quit Nursing in one day but I choose to love Nursing and it’s one decision that will stay unbreakable for the rest of my life. -Nars A. Ko

(Credit to Nars. A. Ko - http://narsako.wordpress.com/)

Dream BIG

Dreams. Dreams come a size too big so that we may grow into them. They’re more powerful than we’d like to believe. God has a big dream for you. What you have to do is to see that dream.  Those dreams are more powerful than we could ever imagine. They guide us through life, they help us set goals and ultimately achieve them. They are often the reason for heart break, but also the reason for soaring hearts.

Everyone has dreams, whether they are big or small. Everyone wants their dreams to come true and dreamers take small steps, to achieve the greater goal. They never give up, They NEVER fail. They do everything they must do to achieve. Someday, if you try hard, dreams would become reality. But you have to realize that God hasn't give up on those dreams and you don't have to either. You've got to dream it, then believe it, before you can live it.

“My dream is big and I will reach it just to prove everyone I can. It’s never too late."

 DREAM BIG ☮