Getting Started at CNA2CRNA

It seems in life we are always starting something new. As a kid we learn to walk, talk, run, and how to conform to society however we choose. As soon as we start something new and complete the task it is time to start another task.

This continues onto adolescence and adulthood. We start new schools, graduate and many attend new schools again. It can be accurately stated that life is a journey of new starts. There is always something new to begin and another mountain to be climbed throughout life.

My personal new mountain is learning how to become a good writer. Writing has been a personal passion of mine since early childhood. I remember writing a story as a project in the 5th grade. I remember bits and pieces of the story. I loved writing the story and I remember reading it over when I completed it. I thought to myself that this is a great story. I am sure every student in the class had the same thoughts about their story.

The teacher read each story one after the other and finally it was my turn. I sat in the chair smiling and eagerly listening to every word. She read the story and it felt wonderful hearing my story read aloud. The teacher stated that she liked my story and the class agreed. I never pictured myself becoming an author one day and I went on to other things.

Throughout college I wrote several papers of course as most students do in college. Creative writing was and is not second nature for me. Although it was always something that I enjoyed. I especially enjoyed writing if it was a topic that I could easily relate to.

Fast forward to 2019 New Year’s Eve. I put out my first book on Amazon. The title was How I Survived CRNA School and You can Too! The book tells the story of how I survived CRNA school. It tells the story of the good & bad and my struggle in nurse anesthetist school. Once again, I was writing on something that I can relate to.

Writing is turning into my passion. Sitting down at a computer or making notes on my phone that will be translated later into a book, blog or Instagram post is therapeutic. I have not had an English class since undergraduate, but once again I am starting over. Learning how to write clear, effective sentences that draw the reader in and makes them want to read more.

I understand that I am by no means the best at what I do. Just like you may not be the best at a new task, hobby or job. We all have to be willing to learn and everyone has to start somewhere. This is my start. This is my beginning. Being an author is work. I have no idea where this profession will take me. One day maybe I will be the great writer I want to become, or honestly maybe I will fail. One thing for certain is that I will find out and I will not give up when it becomes difficult.

This same philosophy can be translated into whatever you are doing in life. Starting a new fitness program, a new degree, a new job or a new hobby. It takes more than just starting the goal. It takes persistence, consistency and the ability to apply it throughout the process.

People often ask me how I was able to write a book while working two jobs. How was I able to accomplish my goal while so many others are not able to? First it was a thought in my head since I was in anesthesia school. I would tell my roommate that I should write a book about nurse anesthesia school. We would talk me writing for a minute then I would go on with my day and studying for school. Finishing school and doing well was my main focus at that time.

Years later after graduating and working in my profession for a couple years. I realized that I needed to conquer my mountain and get started. I sat down in front of the computer and started with a title and a simple small paragraph. Some days I wrote only notes, at times I wrote a sentence and some days I wrote chapter after chapter. The amount of material that I wrote was not as important as my consistency. In approximately 6 months I had finally completed my first book.

Where are you in life? What are you starting? Where are you starting at? What is it that you want? To lose weight, to start a company or to write a book. Start now where you are at. Start before you are ready. How is this possible? If I had started making notes while in anesthesia school I would have been in a much better position to write my book instead of starting 3 years after graduation.

If you want to get in shape start today. Eat healthy starting today. Pick a meal, a day, a weekend to eat nothing but healthy food. How you start is not as important as taking action now and getting started.

If you want to run a marathon you may not want a marathon to be your first race. Start with running a mile nonstop then work up from there. Once you run a mile without a problem move up to 1.5 and then 2 miles until you get to where you want to be. We all have a mountain to climb no matter where we are in life. What is your mountain?

Staying resourceful during new beginnings is the key to longevity. As well as seeing things the way they are. As I have gotten older it has become more apparent that I have to look at the big picture and the longevity of my actions. How can this relate to you and your life?

In my journey I am reading blogs, books, website articles, and how to books on becoming a great writer. Working two jobs is not an excuse for me not becoming the person that I want to be. We all have to hold ourselves accountable.

What has worked for me and my life is setting a plan and following through with it. Be realistic with your goals and actions. Learn what works for you and use it to your advantage. Most important is let’s get it STARTED.

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