Distractions

Whew chile! This here is one that I think we all struggle with. I know I do! The funny part about distractions I think, is that they don't look like distractions, most times. They look like the perfect opportunity to partake in. Before you know it, you're knees deep in the opposite direction of where you're trying to go. I've caught myself many times engaging in things that really could've been avoided. But I was so keen on being apart that I allowed it to encompass my focus.

During nursing school admissions tours, I would always hear the admissions officer say that the accelerated nursing program was rigorous. Now, having been through four years of college, I figured that I would be okay. They would always say "you better say goodbye to your family and friends now". Once I started the program, I understood. I had no time to gallivant with family and friends, much less wipe my own ass. It WAS NOT easy. Now, looking back, I don't know how I did it. I remember getting back the grade on my first medical-surgical exam my nurses understand, and I almost dropped out of the program on site. I was devastated. This was a new LOW for me. I had given up on straight A's during college because I realized I wasn't that dedicated, but this different. That night I got home, I had to make a promise to myself that it would never happen again. I cleaned up my room, said a lengthy prayer and hit the books.

I knew at that point of the Fall 2015 semester, that I needed to cut everything and everyone off if I wanted to pass that class. All the texting and phone calls had to stop. I was also working part-time because as the responsible pre-adult I was 🥴, I needed money for books and other miscellaneous expenses. So I knew that my priorities had to shift in order to supply the season I was in. Even though my other friends may have been dating, partying, finding time to spend with their families, I had to sacrifice all that in order to get to this end goal.

Another thing with distractions is that at the moment they look really sweet. I may have been to two events during nursing school, and I knew the risk I was taking. Do I go out and fail or stay in and have a better chance of passing the test? As a registered nurse with three-plus years of experience, I have all (not really) the free time in the world to go out and frolic. The sacrifices that I'd made then, paid off. Had I kept life from getting in the way of my studies, and continued to give in to the distractions that were around me, I may have failed out of nursing school because all it takes is one class and you're out, or I may not have been able to pass the NCLEX nursing boards the first time around.

Distractions may not fail you, but they may stunt your growth. Why stunt your growth, as opposed to focusing your energy right now, so that when it's your time to play, you can do so without worry?