Hello, my amazing Colorful Dreamers, and Happy July!!
We are officially in the second half of the year and in the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year....are you ready to end the year better than you started it?
Well, I know I am and cannot wait to share with you what has been going on with me over the past 5 months, so without further ado, allow me to reintroduce myself as Myrna L. Datilus, LPN.
Yes, you read that right, I switched my career from sales to begin my dream career in Nursing!
This is the passion project I have been hinting at in my posts for the past year and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with all of you! Now let's get into how this all came to fruition.
"I believe that if I can dream it, then I can achieve it, and will not let anything get in the way of the vision that God has blessed me with for my life."
If you know me, you know that I am an extremely ambitious, driven, and resilient person. I believe that if I can dream it, then I can achieve it, and will not let anything get in the way of the vision that God has blessed me with for my life, and that is where this all began, with God. I have been going back and forth for several years about being a nurse because for starters, it is the status quo in the Haitian culture for women to be nurses, and to be honest, I do not like to follow the status quo and love to step out of any boxes that were constructed for me by society and/or my culture. Therefore, I created a lucrative career in sales after my dreams of becoming a Broadway star (this goal is still on my to-do list) were deferred due to my wanting to please my parents and make them feel secure with my life choices.
Although I was successful in my sales career, towards the latter part of it, I began to lack purpose in it. I went from feeling so accomplished by helping people with the products or services I was selling to them, to feeling forced to view clients or accounts as dollar signs. Since I am a firm believer in only working for companies that have me sold on their mission and products, it was not that difficult for me to sell to any of their clients.
I was aware that people had specific needs that must be met and if the product that I am selling them will truly help them accomplish their goals, then I was more than happy to sell it to them. However, once I began to feel disconnected from the sales process, based on how I was being trained and/ or managed, I knew it was time for me to switch gears. Even though I did not know where to start, guess what? God did, and He did it in the most unexpected & challenging way, ever!
"God definitely was teaching me the power of "trusting the process" even if it didn't look the way that I imagined."
As mentioned in my blog post, "Chapter 1: To Sink or Swim? That is the Question," I shared how I was unexpectedly let go from my last sales position on April 1st, 2019, and unbeknownst to me, that was God answering a consistent prayer for me to find a way out of working in sales. At the time, I was unable to grasp what He was doing since I felt so unprepared to be unemployed, but after the dust settled from my shock, I realized how this was the biggest and best blessing in disguise that I could ever ask for.
I first decided to focus on my personal brand, and how to expand it. I then got excited to be paid by the government via Unemployment Benefits while I was trying to figure this new unemployed adulting life out; turns out I really needed this break! I have been working for over 2 decades, so I welcomed this unexpected vacation from the hustle and bustle of Corporate life and was ready to live life on my terms.
I began freelancing with my writing, was a bartender for a little bit, and then the pandemic hit which allowed me to benefit financially and assisted in helping me pay my rent and bills on time while maintaining a good credit score. Things were being set in motion in preparation for my new season that I was clearly unaware of; God was truly working for your girl, proving to me that all will be well.
So as I was settling into my new quarantined life, I began to pray and ask God to reveal to me what I was meant to do that was purposeful and would allow me to change the way we interact with one another in this world. I was forced to be still as I waited for Him to send me a sign or feeling, and then...He did!
The most obvious sign was God sending a close friend of mine who was enrolled in the same nursing program that I recently graduated from to express to me that she really wished I did the program with her and kept me in the loop of the admissions and application process. This is something she knew had hindered me from applying to nursing school in the past due to my undergrad credits not being able to be transferred for the prerequisites that needed to be completed for an RN program. So even though I wanted to go straight into the RN program, God definitely was teaching me the power of "trusting the process" even if it didn't look the way that I imagined.
I researched the program and when it was time to apply for the Spring 2021 program, I prayed about it again and said to God if they give me an issue as well, then I know that this is not meant for me to do right now and I will continue to wait for Him to reveal what I was actually supposed to be doing. In January 2021, I applied, took a test, and wrote an essay to be accepted into this accelerated LPN program, and they accepted me with no issues at all; in that exact moment, I knew it was ALLL God!! He used my friend as a vessel to remind me to not forget why I was placed on this earth, and I now know that is for me to help heal others and change the way we choose to treat one another.
So exactly 2 years after being let go from a job unexpectedly, in April 2021 I began the accelerated LPN program, and fast forward to today, I graduated with an Academic Achievement Award from the LPN Program at Lincoln Technical Institute in Iselin, NJ and I couldn't be more excited about my future!
As we can all expect, there were A FEW of bumps along this journey that affected my finances, sometimes my self-esteem, and my time spent with my loved ones. Nonetheless, I made sure to balance my life with my studies and never forgot who I was along the way. I lost some friends but I gained an even more solid tribe that I know will remain with me on the journey towards my VERY BEST life as I approach 40 years old, and BEYOND!
The next stop is an RN program, but not until I feel confident working as an LPN. I had to remind myself that although I didn't become an RN right away, that doesn't mean I must rush to become one either; that was adding unnecessary pressure on myself that began to stress me out, and this is not the time to stress but to celebrate this huge accomplishment in my life. I finally got my foot into the door of nursing and when the time is right, I will step into the other needed doors that God will open for me that will help me reach my ultimate goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner.
"Ambition has no expiration date, so if you feel like starting over, then do it!"
I shared all of this to say that no matter how old you are or where you are in your life, you can make a change if you do not feel like you are living the life you were meant to live. Ambition has no expiration date, so if you feel like starting over, then do it! Just make sure you pray on it, and allow God to do the rest as you continue to lean on faith and do what is needed to help Him help you!
I hope my story can help encourage you to live your life unapologetically and unafraid to take risks because it is true what they say--with no risk, there is no reward. I am so happy to have taken this leap of faith with the necessary risks needed for me to benefit from the rewards that have come my way and are STILL on their way to me by the grace of God.
I would like to thank my parents, sisters, cousins & close friends for all your love and support of me during this past year. Means so much to have your continual vote of confidence in me with all of my endeavors. Get ready, there is more to come!
To my fellow Colorful Dreamers, I dare you to go ahead and live your life boldly.
Just know that I will be here to encourage and motivate you along the way, and always remember that...
No matter what, never forget to:
Be Audacious.
Be Fearless.
Be Intentional.
&
Lead with Love
💜
Love Always,
Your Dope Colorful Dreamer,
Myrna 🙏🏾💜