My last blog post was from about a year and a half ago. I was just getting ready to head off to college and start the long journey to becoming a doctor.
Man, how things have changed!
In this year and a half, I have cut ties with my old roommate after an unfortunate incident, started a job as a Nurse Aide at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, finished three semesters in the Biomedical Sciences Program at Bryan College of Health Sciences with a 4.0 GPA, began volunteering in the Bryan West Emergency Department, moved to a different apartment, and so much more.
As I look back at my old blog posts, I can see that I have grown as a person.
With today being the last day of 2017, it is inevitable that I take a look back at who I was this year and who I want to become in 2018.
In 2017, I decided I was moving out from a toxic situation with a roommate and the people she had brought into my life. Removing her completely meant removing a certain somebody that I spent a year flirting with and somebody I lost a lot of self-respect over. That part of the situation I am still working on, unfortunately.
In 2017, I decided that tailgating and frat parties and going out every weekend wasn’t going to be on my agenda…at least in the fall semester it wasn’t. Honestly, it was kind of nice to not have to worry about it, and I want to continue this trend in 2018. Sure, I enjoy the occasional party and time with friends, but I do need to set my priorities straight as I go into the new year. This includes spending that time volunteering, working on the weekends to make some money, doing more job shadowing, studying to maintain my 4.0 GPA, getting my booty into the gym and focusing on myself and my mental and physical health.
In 2017, I did not spend as much time as I would have liked to focusing on bettering myself and becoming the best version of myself. There were times when I did not care come Sunday mornings and I would not go to church. I am glad to say that I have broken that ugly habit and have yet to miss this whole semester and plan on continuing that trend.
I know that I had some definite highs and some definite lows in 2017. But I know that I have some amazing goals for 2018, and I would like to share some of them with you!
I plan to focus on my physical health.
I will start by eating better. No more Panda Express, no more ice cream at nights. I will make good, wholesome meals. I will eat something for breakfast. I will take supplements and multivitamins to give myself energy and the nutrition I need daily. I will get my booty in the gym that I pay for each month and WORK.
I plan to focus on my mental health.
I will take my medication daily like I am supposed to. I will get a good night’s rest. I will pray to God morning and night. I will take time each night to reflect on my day rather than sitting on my phone at night. I will make less of an emphasis on social media in my life, and actually LIVE.
I plan to focus on my future.
I will volunteer weekly in the Emergency Department at Bryan — no more skipping because I am tired. I will prepare for my classes in advance — no more studying in the morning, no more winging it, and no more “My grade is good enough.” I will get my work hours completed before summer at Madonna so I continue to have good patient care hours this year. I will work in the office and writing center at school and do it to the best of my ability. I will complete job shadow applications and take time with physicians asking them questions and better preparing myself for medical school. I will purchase MCAT study books and focus on that exam. I will work on my research study so that I can conduct it for a longer period of time and collect more data. I will do my BEST.
By putting an emphasis on myself and who I want to be, I can excel so much. I tend to focus more on what others think of me, and I am tired of chasing after people who do not really care about me. I am going to spend that time bettering myself because in the end, I need to love myself before I can love or be loved by anyone else.
-notingnicole
notingnicole 