Life is a constant journey from beginning to end. We can choose to stay stagnant, or choose to move forward. The decision is up to the individual, which is you. Your life can improve no matter where you are or what you're doing. Whether your life is headed in the right direction or wrong direction, it can get better. Don't let life's problems get you down. Let's begin our Journey.
When I was in High School, a common phrase many adults would tell me is, "These are going to be the best days of your life." Now, I would hear this phrase and always go, "Really, this is the best it is going to get?" Don't get me wrong; things were not horrible for me in high school. I had great, hardworking parents, good friends, was a descent student and never really got into trouble. I wasn't popular, but I wasn't unknown and I was also involved in some extracurricular activities. However, the fact that this was the best life could get just troubled me. I would think to myself that if life is only getting worse, essentially, what is there to look forward to. Then, one day during Health class, an adult finally spoke the truth. She was a guest speaker, and her exact words were, "Who ever tells you that high school is the best time of your life, is dead wrong. I hated high school, but I love my life right now." She had a great career that she loved and a wonderful family life. I was silently ecstatic after this presentation. I knew it, and the journey began. I had visions of the perfect adulthood: good money, travelling the globe, having a beautiful family and living in a city that I loved. I continued to work hard in school, volunteered for organizations and programs that I loved, applied for scholarships, stayed focused on my goals and with the help and support of my parents, finished college with a nursing degree in May of 2006. The good times were about to begin.
After graduating from college, I made a bold decision; I left my hometown, Reno, NV, which I always wanted to do and moved to Boston, MA. What a wonderful city; overwhelming, but wonderful. I got a job at Massachusetts General Hospital, which I had applied for while still living in Reno, met great friends, and saw many wonderful attractions I never would have imagined. I was overwhelmed when I got there, being that I was away from home, with no close friends yet, living in a big city and working a fairly stressful job. After about two to three months, I was over this and loving my new home. For some personal reasons, I moved back to the West Coast and landed in Mesa, AZ. I still regret this decision sometimes, but life goes on and you can't dwell on regrets. Mesa, AZ was again a big change. It took me much longer to warm up to Mesa; however, I did have a good job, made some good friends and after six months to a year, warmed up to the place. In August of 2008, I bought my first home in Mesa, started working in dialysis, which I still do to this day, and picked up a few hobbies that I enjoyed doing. My life was pretty good at this time; but again, I knew it could be better. I dabbled in a few businesses and after about a year and a half, I started doing something I always wanted to do: Travel Nursing. I love it and still do it to this day. I have worked and lived in many different places, have met wonderful friends and people and best of all, met my wife.
My life is great right now. I am married to the greatest woman alive. We recently bought a beautiful home in Aurora, CO through hard work and persistence; I still own my home in Mesa, AZ and my health is good. I am happy, but not content. I refuse to let this be the best my life gets. I am pursuing a certification in Life Coaching and also pursuing a career as a motivational speaker. I will also become a CPR instructor again, which I did in the past. I have many big plans with my new career goals. Oh yes, my life is great; I am happy, but definitely not content. I will continue to make my life better.
The reason I gave this quick overview of the last 10-12 years is to show that whether my life was headed in the right or wrong direction, I was always seeking something better. If your life is going in the wrong direction, fix it. If your unhappy and want to change it, then do it. Find a new job if you don't like your current one. In your spare time: update your resume, look online, find places with "Now Hiring" signs and just make a change. There are many websites that teach you how to build a resume and sometimes colleges or universities have professionals available to help with this. If you're unable to switch careers at this time, you can at least still build your resume and search for jobs. In the meantime, learn to love the job you have. Believe me; you will always have a reason to love your job. Do they pay you? You better love that about it. Do they give you benefits? There's another reason? Is it close to home? There's another reason, again. Bottom line is, learn to love your job, even if it's just for a short while, and then pursue other opportunities. Any reason not to do this is just an excuse.
Finances are not the only way you can improve your life. Maybe you have good finances but you want more time for hobbies; or time with your family. You just need to make the time. Sometimes random opportunities to enjoy time with your family just pop up; look out for these opportunities. If you have a Sunday morning free and so does your wife, take the time to do something you both enjoy: like going for a nice walk or to breakfast. If you want to take more vacations but don't have the money, figure out a way to get more money. Try working overtime at your job, or get a second job. Cut expenses out of your day. Let's say you can save five dollars a day by not eating out as much; we'll do the math together: In one month, that's an extra $150; after three months, it will be $450; Six months, it's $900. Can you take a descent vacation for $900? You bet you can and many travel sites are full of discounts. These are very simple examples, but basically, you can always improve your life, whether it's good or bad.
We all have problems; that's a given. People always use the excuse: well my problems are worse than yours; I have kids to worry about; my parents weren't rich like other kids; bad things always happen to me. How many of you have heard this? While it's true certain people have more advantages than others, this can be said about anybody. You almost always have it better than someone else. There are people who come from richer families than you; maybe had more talent than you; seem to always get all the breaks; or had more support, etc. While this is true, many people will look at you and say the same thing. We all have problems and set backs in our lives, and while some people have less of these than us; there are also people who have more. There are people who grew up in third world countries with nothing, and end there lives as millionaires or billionaires. They did it; so why can't we? I recall a story of an Indian doctor who was homeless as a child. He learned about anatomy by dissecting frogs in his spare time, with no knowledge. He earned money by doing whatever odd jobs he could find. Now, those are some heavy obstacles. Donald Trump, who I am a fan of, inherited millions from his dad, and turned himself into a billionaire. While it is true he had financial advantages and I'm sure the knowledge he received from his dad, he still worked hard, took great risks, had set backs along the way, was creative, had ingenuity and, finally, a never-ending desire to always be better, which made him into a billionaire. Would Mr. Trump have been happy as a millionaire and enjoyed a good life? Probably, but it wasn't enough for him; so, he created more. Pursue your dreams and goals whatever they may be in spite of opposition; whether it's family, friends, money, fear or health, etc. Always seek a better life.
We are all at different stages in our life. Some of us aren't happy with our lives and some of us are. Either way, things can always get better. Seek ways to make your life better. It's up to you. People may help, support, encourage and mentor you along the way, but, ultimately, you're in charge of your life.
