Year 2017 Recap

Although it's going already the 3rd week of the new year, I still want to take some time to reflect on some of my most memorable moments from 2017. I can honestly say that year 2017 has been great to me. So many successes, so many accomplishments, so many enjoyable times. If I was blogging at the time, I would have made sure to write these posts during their specific time frame. But I am glad that I still have the memories and pictures to reflect back on today. 

May

Being offered a Nursing job

I jumpstarted my career search during my senior year in college, only have applied to one position. A week after my interview, I was offered a job as a Registered Nurse as part of a Nursing Residency Program in Atlanta! This feeling was so joyful being that it is the exact position that I sought out for and hoped to obtain. 

College Graduation

Graduating from college with a  Bachelor’s in Science of Nursing will always be one of my proudest life accomplishments. Nursing school was definitely NOT easy and I definitely experienced many challenges in the process. 

June

Graduation Party

1st Blog Post...In a Year?

November 1, 2017

Hello everyone! I have decided to give this blogging thing another try. I haven’t wrote a blog post in over a year and I am starting to have reoccurring thoughts about the process. I wanted blogging to be a creative outlet for me as well as a platform to help me discover myself further, while providing inspiration to other relatable individuals. I want this to become one of my new hobbies. For this reason, I understand that I should only write when I am inspired and propelled to do so, without placing pressure on myself about meeting deadlines. So much has changed in my life within the last year, and I now feel as though I have more time to actually enjoy blogging. With this hobby, I will continue to document pieces of my life including my experiences, advice, and activities that I desire to share. I am excited to continue on with this project and to see how it grows. There are so many things in life that I want to accomplish and do, and I am glad that I have this space to document them. I welcome you again to leave any feedback or comments on my posts. Positivity and good vibes? I’m here for it!

-Dikira 

Nursing School: Second Semester Reflection

Dear Diary,

It's been a while since my last post. I just wanted to take some time to reflect back on my spring semester of nursing school. It has been the most stressful semester yet and I am so relieved to be on summer break! From starting the semester off with all A's to almost failing courses, it has definitely been a rough one! But I can thankfully say that the Lord saw me through and I am now an official SENIOR!

 My course load consisted of 3 classes: Adult Health, Maternal/Child Nursing, and Pharmacology, all totaling 15 credit hours. I also attended 225 lab, sim, and clinical hours. As I reflect back on memories from this 5-month semester, I am able to say that my most enjoyable college of nursing moments happened during clinical. I really enjoyed working one-on-one with patients and being able to practice my nursing skills in the real-life settings. I remember always being anxious during the start of my clinical mornings because I never knew what to expect. These feelings went away shortly after my shifts started as I got in the "zone" and began my morning vitals. On top of that, my clinical instructors were always supportive and there to help whenever needed. It was a frequent conversation between me and my clinical members as to how we always lucked up on our clinical instructors, after we were told stories from our classmates about their unpleasant instructor experiences.

Lecture classes were my least favorite. Nursing classes are long, and often boring. I am ashamed to say that I was not focused in class as much as I should have been. Because of my boredom, I resorted to texting and scrolling though Pinterest and Facebook newsfeeds. My lack of attention during class often resulted in me basically teaching myself the material afterwards. I don't feel completely bad about this because I had professors who would literally read each powerpoint slide word from word. For that reason, I have been able to appreciate the posting of our class powerpoint slides and lecture notes online. However, next semester I vow to do better and be more alert the first time.

After completing this semester, I am confident that I will get through the next. God has brought me through 2 semesters in nursing school and I just know that he'll bring me through the last 2. Time to use this summer to prepare myself for the blessings coming my way.

-Dikira 

New Year, Fresh Start: My Plans for the New Year

Happy New Year everyone! Although we are halfway through the month of January already, I still wanted to take some time to reflect on this past year and also write about what I’m looking forward to in 2016. I am able to say that year 2015 has definitely been a year of change which ultimately led to this feeling of having a fresh start in my life. Beginning nursing school in August, starting a blog in October, and departing ways with my boyfriend of 4 years in December, are just a few events from 2015 that caused some sort of shifting in my life. When thinking back on the whole year overall, I recognize that each experience and lesson that I have learned have all shaped me into the person I am today. I am thankful for everything that the Lord has opened my eyes to see, experience, and accomplish, because I know that everything is a part of His Plan-which is always greater than what I envision for myself. When I look back to 2015 and self reflect, I am able to identify areas in my life that I want to work on improving in order for me to become the best version of myself.

In this New Year, I am focusing more on myself and strengthening my spiritual relationship with God. I have made a note to myself to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of this journey. I am working on being more comfortable with myself and doing what makes me happy. I want to grow and allow God to push me to my full potential in my abilities, faith, thinking, and prayer life. This year will be full of success and happiness… and I am claiming it!

Thanks for reading! What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

-Dikira 

Reflection: First Semester of Nursing School

Whew! I did it. After all the finals and long nights of studying, I have officially completed my first semester of nursing school! This semester has not been an easy one but I am blessed to have made it this far and to have been able to pass all of my courses. My first semester classes have provided me with much insight into the nursing profession through lessons about nursing principles, concepts, and skills. I have also been able to learn how to care for patients and study numerous health diseases and problems involving each body system.  Learning so much information at once combined with frequent testing of material made these past 4 months a slight challenge. However, through it all I have persevered and continued to move forward towards my goal of becoming a nursing, all with the help from God.  As the New Year and new semester approaches, I am excited to see what is to come and I will use my previous learning experiences to help me identify how I can make the best of my next semester.

-Dikira 

Year of Thanksgiving- What I’m Thankful For

November is a month of Giving Thanks. This theme comes from the traditional celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday that occurs on the 4^th Thursday of November. On this day, family and friends gather together to give thanks for what they have while also enjoying a special meal. Although this holiday is set on one day out the year, I believe that we should all give thanks every day. It is important for us to always appreciate our blessings and display gratitude for the things that we have and have accomplished. This allows us to focus less on the things our lives lack, and more on the abundance that we sometimes overlook. Giving thanks and being appreciative can lead to a happier life, stronger relationships, and more blessings from God that we aren’t always able to imagine.

I decided to make a list of 10 things that I am grateful for like I remember doing in elementary school. I am grateful for: 1. My family   2. My boyfriend   3. My friends   4.The opportunity to attend nursing school   5. My apartment   6. My car  7. My strong mind & character  8. My dogs  9. My blog  10. My health

These are just a few of my many blessings. I would love to hear about what you are thankful for as well as any other comments.

Love,

-Dikira 

Creating the Life I Want to Live and the Person I Want to Be

So lately I have found myself thinking more and more about my future and how I would like to live once I get further into the “real world.”  Although this topic promotes me to visualize my older self, it also encourages me to reflect on the present time and how I live my life today. I am very thankful for the life that I have been blessed with as well as the way I was created.  

 

 I have noted to myself that it is important to understand that my life today will shape my life tomorrow. Although this saying is a bit cliché’, it is true. In order to have a future that you desire, steps must be taken now to lead to that desired way of living.  

We all have things that we aspire for in life whether it’s success, joy, being healthier, or gaining more wealth. Oftentimes we are unable to meet the level of satisfaction that we want in a certain area because we tend to blame others or our own circumstances for keeping us away from our dreams. When we do this, it’s because we fail to realize that what’s really keeping us back from our aspirations is ourselves. It is the mindset that we possess and the actions that we take that will lead us to the places we want to go.  

Believing this has helped me to move forward towards creating the life I want to live and shaping the person I desire to be. Although this is something that I am still working on, I am able to recognize that I have made progress overtime. I have developed a list of steps that I am following and that I feel is beneficial towards achieving what is desired for my life and self:

1. Don’t Complain

A famous quote by the late Maya Angelou states