Life is not always filled with rainbows. There are times when rains would continually shower and no trace of the sun's light would be seen. There would be days when the sky would be cloudy and you'd think that the day would perfectly go well. All of a sudden you'd be shocked to see a storm coming out of nowhere bashing everything on it's way and leaving nothing but a perfectly designed wreckage - A wreckage that may mean either two things : A sign of moving forward and keeping all your hopes up or a sign that you're a constant mess and your life would continually be dull. How you perceive and project it in your own life would totally depend on you.
People around me would often describe me as a very strong-willed person - a person who is all the time optimistic about his life, a person who always smiles and acts happily crazy despite adversities, a person who lives a very easy and happy life. What they mostly know about me is somehow slightly the opposite. I too have my own miseries in life. I also have my fair share of failures in life - more failures compared to success.
When I was a kid, I dreamt of being a successful person. I was a very good student at school. I continually pursued my goals in life because I knew that in the end that goal will be a reality. I kept fighting my way through - studied really hard and burned my midnight candles. I even matured early compared to my peers, always thinking critically and outcome-oriented in making decisions. I thought life would be happier when I finish school and would land a great job that will pay-off all my hardships. I thought things would be easy along the way. But the harsh reality of it all, life would sometimes suck. What you expect to happen may sometimes not happen. And the worst thing you'd possibly pray wont happen sometimes end up happening. All the hardships and sacrifices you've undergone would sometimes be repaid but not in full. In the long run you may have regrets - Regrets stemming from thoughts that still haunt you to this day. You'd continually question yourself, "Was it all worth it? Was it all meaningful?"
I wanted to be a rebel teen back then, but thoughts of keeping myself out of trouble and bringing added shame to my parents and family hindered me. I was different, a teen having his own world. I had a different attitude and views about life compared to my other siblings and my peers. I was always afraid to commit mistakes and would often see it coming and stop it from happening. I'm always one-step ahead and I often learned from other people's mistakes rather than experiencing it myself. I always isolated myself, kept myself apart from them all. I would often make excuses when friends invite me to parties and events and that left me being a lonely person. Slowly one after the other, friends disappear and only a few remained. Again it left me thinking, was it all worth it?
As a person, I acted rationally with a touch of a little sensitivity. Rational because that's how my father taught me to be, that one should always use his head in doing things and that there's no room for mediocrity. Sensitivity, that's what my mother taught me. She has always reminded me to use my heart in weighing things out, whether that decision would be good for the sake of others or just an action stemming out of greedy intentions. I like better what my mother taught me, because I get to see how people feel and get to be empathic. I always considered the feelings of people around me before deciding matters. I see to it that no one gets hurt or offended when I make my decisions. This is my strength as a person - being rational and sensitive. Although having this personality is good, it also serves as my vulnerable side and people would often take advantage of it when they get to know me indepthly. That's the down-side of being me. Despite of my actions and good intentions, no one seems to appreciate it. It seems that my effort was not enough. People around me would remember me for the good times, but they soon forget me when bad times happen. I wanted to be a bad person but the good nature that my mother inculcated in me still stems out. No wonder I became a nurse. It wasn't my first choice though. I dreamt of being an accountant, an engineer, an architect and even becoming a doctor, but seeing my father having a very stressful work with no time to smile and always carrying a grumpy face at home, I decided to take a different path. A path that I wish was all worth it.
Sometimes when I'm all alone, I get to remember my past experiences and would sometimes wonder if all my sacrifices was worth it - if all my decisions was worth it. Because if they were, I sure hope that I get to reap all the fruit soon.
It pains me to say that I hate being me and that I should have been a different person - that it would have been better if I was not the person I am now. But still I believe that things happen for a reason and that God alone knows it - that each one of us has a purpose in life and it's up for us to find and discover it.
Though my life now is constantly being battered by life's uncertainties, I'm still somehow hopeful that my better days would come soon. That the dark clouds above my sky will soon disappear and that after the storm I would find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I'm still looking forward to find useful stuffs from the wreckage of the storm and use it to build a better house someday.
I'm still wearing that infectious smile, hiding my miseries away.^_^
Failure is a realization of what we're not capable of doing alone. It's a realization that in everything we do, we should always walk hand in hand with God. When you do that, you won't feel depressed and useless. Instead, you'd feel blessed and inspired to keep on achieving greatness.
When your pair of shoes are undergoing wear and tear, it's a good habit to ask God for a replacement. He never fails to provide us what we need. It's a matter of admitting that we can't survive Life without Him. It's good to always walk with Him, 'cause you might never know when you need another pair of shoes. But if ever He's not around to provide one, we could always sit down and rest, stop for a while and see the wonders of His works. Slowly you would see that everything is provided around you. It's a matter of using the Will and Knowledge that He has given us to make something out of His creations.
Give room for failure, but don't make that room big enough to cloud your mind of what you are really capable of. Make that room a size of a match-box, so that you could carry it with you always. It's a reminder that nothing's perfect, and humans are prone to committing mistakes rather than doing good always. That slight imperfection is a great ingredient to one's success in Life. It's a strong motivation to keep on reaching perfection, if not near-perfection. And once you reach that goal, always look in to your pockets and see the match-box again. It's another reminder that God walked through with you during your ups and downs.
So when you get tired and feel hopeless - feeling like a failure, always remember that He's with you. You only need to look around you and feel His presence. Once you'd do that, you'd find Life worth living. You'd be enjoying every endeavor without feeling the push of negativity around you. Everything will be a breeze when you walk with God - when you live life with God.
Decades ago,
Nursing as a career was very famous. I remember way back when I was still a
fourth grader, I told myself that I’d be a nurse and would follow the footsteps
of my cousins who are successful nurses working abroad. I remember changing my
first dream of becoming an accountant to becoming a nurse. Filipino nurses were
in demand back then, and our country continuously produced quality healthcare
professionals. Being a nurse for me projected an image of success, and so as a
kid I motivated myself to become one.
Years passed
and the demand for nurses abroad started to decline. But that didn’t hinder me
from taking up nursing as a course in college. Back in 2006, my journey to the
nursing career started its course.
Life in
college was a mixture of a breeze and a hurricane. I have proven that studying
nursing was no joke. Indeed you have to burn your candles at night to survive
it. There are many factors that would affect your survival in studying nursing:
First, your family needs to be
financially stable to support your study. I have a few friends who were forced
to give up their dream just because their parents could not afford to. A few
would get scholarships just to have the education, and some would stop for a
while to get a job, work for a year, save money, and re-enroll themselves after
skipping two semesters and one summer and find themselves left behind by their
batch-mates. You would be spending an estimated maximum amount of one million
pesos in taking the course. This at least is true in our region. If you would
take the course in Metro Manila, you would likely be spending more than a
million peso. The course is very expensive. You pay your internship in the
hospital and end up being a catch basin for everything – that if you know what
I mean. Second, you need to be
intelligent, if not, hard-working and self-motivated. Studying nursing is
really not a joke. You need to have good attitude, critical thinking and the
skills to adapt to a continuously changing environment. You have to study
different diseases, know what causes them, how they progress and the treatment
needed to cure them. You need to have this knowledge so that when you practice
the profession later on, you would know how to properly execute the doctor’s
order and know if the treatment is really necessary for the patient or not.
Nurses are molded to become patient advocates because they are the ones who
constantly interact with the patients. You also need to acquire medical
assessment skills and continually sharpen them. This is needed so that nurses
would know if the patient is having good progress or the patient needs another
referral because abnormal findings had been found. You also need to know how to
distinguish when and how to execute independent nursing actions and do those
actions based on your nursing diagnosis and continually assess and evaluate
them and the progress of your patients.
As a student nurse, we were required to
have a minimum grade of 2.5 (80-82%) in each nursing or nursing-related
subject. This was necessary in order to ensure that our school continually
produces quality graduates and that the school’s product won’t have the
difficulty of facing the real word of nursing as they set foot outside the
portals of the college. Having a grade below the cut-off would give you two
options: First, you would have to come back next year and retake the subject(s).
Second, you could opt out to transfer to another nursing school. Either way,
both options is a no-no; flunking a nursing subject would be a GREAT NO-NO! Again,
you can’t afford to flunk and spend much again. Third, you really have to love your course or at least pretend to. Some
of my friends really took nursing because it’s their childhood dream and that
they belong to a family line of nurses. Some took the course as a preparation
for Medicine. This bunch of people did really excel in taking the course
because they love it and they have the passion for it. On the other hand, a few
of my friends were forced by their parents to take nursing. They had to study
nursing because they had to or else they would end up being a “tambay” in their
home. At that time they had no choice because their parents won’t let them take
other courses, because according to their folks nursing will provide them a
bright future. That their “titos” and “titas” abroad would help them have a
career. That life would be a breeze after graduation. For the first two years
in college, these friends of mine had the difficulty of coping up. It was
really hard for them to swallow nursing; hard for them to really love nursing. But
somehow along the way, a few of them eventually learned to love the course. As
for the other few, they transferred to other nursing schools. They were not
able to meet the cut-off grade and they had to take the course from the start
and spend much again. This is the reality surrounding the lives of student
nurses and their family.
It was year
2007 when The United States of America had the recession. This event markedly affected
the global market. It also affected the plight of career of nurses here and
abroad. As a student nurse, we didn’t feel yet the impact of this situation in
our future career. I guess we were still naïve at that time. We were reluctant
that such event will have a solution soon and that there would still be an
abundant career ahead of us. And so there we were, busy in our student nurses’
world. Not minding what life is after college.
It was school
year 2007-2008 and I had my first exposure to the hospital as a nurse intern. Student
nurses’ life for me back then was a hurricane. Hate to admit it, but before I decided
to continually pursue my life in nursing, I had doubts. I was not that
confident before. I even had the idea of transferring to another course and
pursue my first dream of becoming an accountant just like my father. I said to
myself that nursing is a pretty hard job. You really need to have patience and
a very wide understanding of every situation, because if you don’t you will end
up crying secretly. And I did cry secretly after duty. I even said to myself and
to my mother that nursing is not for me, and that I only want to use my head
for work, not my head and my hands. I had an uneasy feeling towards nursing
before. But then again, my principles in life prevented me to transfer. I said
to myself, “I’m already soaked in water, why not swim”? I just have to keep
moving forward.
In the same
year, there was a sudden turn of events in my life. My father had stroke. It
was a very difficult time for our family. This event made me realize that I
should really embrace my course. That in times of sickness, I would be the
person to whom my family will receive comfort and care. It was really a hard
time for me. I was in a dilemma, having difficulty maintaining my grades and
projecting a worry-free image in school and at the same time attend to my
family’s emotional need. I wanted to contribute something; I wanted to do more,
but then again I still lack some skills and knowledge regarding my course. While
on duty, I would constantly think about my father when doing patient care. I
kept the idea that when I do good things to my patients and treat them as my
family, the nurse who is taking care of my father would also do the same - that
they would make him feel comfortable, that they would change his diaper
properly, that they will monitor hourly his urine output because he has an
indwelling catheter, that they will prevent any hospital-acquired infection
from occurring. But to my dismay this didn’t happen, though he was admitted in
a well-known tertiary hospital in our region. But don’t get me wrong, Filipino
nurses are still the best in the world in my opinion, and I strongly believe
that our region produces nurses with Tender Loving Care (TLC). There are still
a lot of nurses in our country who do their job well and still with passion.
Going back, the event that had transpired in my life motivated me to
continually do my best and do well with my patients.
The succeeding
years were slightly a breeze for me, though I still have to burn my midnight
candles. Everything was going fine until I lost my scholarship. It was my
fourth year in college when I lost it. I was kind of sad and worried at first,
but then my family understood my situation. They knew how hard it was to
maintain my grades. Losing my scholarship didn’t hinder me from giving out my
best. I never lose my optimism and faith in God. I continually believed that
everything happens for a reason and God has a good purpose behind it.
Year 2010, we
all finally finished our degree. Some finished it by March, others by October.
I’m an October graduate due to my scrubs. It was hard for me back then because
I had to review for my licensure and at the same time attend to my Delivery
Room (DR) scrubs. This was also true with my other batch-mates. We had to
finish it all up to be officially called a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
graduate and that we could take the licensure examination on time.
We all started
reviewing for the licensure exam April of 2010. In our school, it’s a custom
that all nursing graduates should take the examination December of the same
graduation year. This was to ensure that everybody passes the board exam. It’s
a good thing though that our school has its own affiliated review center.
Unlike other review centers, our school offers its nursing graduates seventeen
thousand pesos for the review. The price is not too bad considering that they
provide us excellent review materials, seven months of review, plus high
caliber reviewers. That was during our time. Nevertheless, I’m happy that my
alma mater supports us all throughout the way. Other review centers in our
region would charge a minimum of twenty five thousand pesos. Review centers in
Metro Manila would charge beyond that. The maximum would be forty thousand
pesos.
Just to make
it brief, spending never ends upon a student nurses graduation. It increases as
time goes by depending whether you’ll hit your exam only once or be repeating
it unlimitedly. Even after you pass the exam, you’d still be spending more
along the way. That if you know what I mean. The only time your parents won’t
feel the burden of supporting you will be when you’ll be having a promising job
as a nurse abroad or when you’ll be working as a Business Process Outsourcing
agent in the country.
Now going back
to my journey, February 2011 the Professional Regulatory Commission of the
Philippines announced the successful passers of the December 2010 Nurses
Licensure Examination. I was blessed and privileged to be included among those
who made it through. Tears flooded my eyes because finally, I will be able to
practice my profession as a nurse; that I will be able to reap the fruits of my
hardships. While I was having tears of joy, a few of my friends and other
batch-mates were having tears of dismay. They were so eager and motivated to
pass the licensure exams, but then they still did not make it. While others are
busy partying for their success, some are depressed; ashamed to go out of their
house and meet people. Dreams were partially shattered. This continued for
months until all of us are finally facing the reality of our future in the
nursing world. At first I thought I was the only one thinking this way, but to
my surprise my friends and classmates were also having the same realization. Parties
ended, smiling faces looked serious, no more daily or weekly money allowance, happy
parents turned to sad ones. This is the reality surrounding the lives of nursing
graduates and their family.
It was October
2011 when I first had my experience as a licensed nurse. A few of my friends
went with me to have our training in one of the premier tertiary hospital in
our region. Others went to have theirs in district and provincial hospitals.
It’s a good thing that we didn’t pay a single cent for our training. It was
totally free.
So there we
were experiencing first-hand what a licensed nurse is experiencing. No more
Clinical Instructor to guide us around. The risk was all ours. I spent three
months training as a staff nurse trainee. Since I’m no longer a student nurse,
gone are the days when I get to have two to three patients. When I started
practicing my profession, I started to handle seven to ten patients. The word
seven may sound simple to any person, but it’s a dread actually; ten would be
super dread. Seven would be a good thing if all of them don’t have a
complicated case. But when you have seven, and three of them have complicated
conditions, procedures or treatments, you won’t even recognize the word “Lunch”
or “Break” anymore. The moment you see a new doctor’s order, you need to carry
it out right away to manage your time effectively. You need to prioritize what
you need to do. When a patient calls in from their room, you immediately go and
see what the problem is. The moment you go out of the room, you’d find yourself
having a lot of orders to carry out and procedures to do, not counting the
monitoring you need to do every four hours to patients with manageable
conditions and hourly monitoring of patients with complicated conditions. You
also need to prepare the medications and see to it that you’d be giving the
right medication with the right dosage and timing to the right patient. You
also need to do your documentation for legal purposes. It was hard for me at
the start. Constant adjustment was needed, but eventually I got used to it. Good
thing the staff nurses were good and were freely available despite the workload
to help me out and guide me. What I’ve been through was nothing compared to what
my friends and batch-mates had in the district and provincial hospitals. Unlike
private tertiary hospitals that have three to four staff nurses with three
nurse trainees in a shift, district and provincial hospitals would have one to
two staff nurses with one nurse trainee altogether handling thirty patients.
According to a close-friend of mine, when he was in the district hospital he
was made to handle thirty patients alone. Yes, alone without any assistance
coming from the tenured or contractual staff nurse. Imagine him doing what I’ve
just mentioned above to thirty patients. His staff nurse was not afraid to compromise
patient safety. Good thing my friend is flexible, conscientious and
God-fearing. He still managed to handle all of the patients without incurring
any error.
I had this
experience once. There was a time when I was rotated to the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU). I have this comatosed patient who was prone to seizure. He has a
Nasogastric Tube (NGT) used for his feeding and for his medications. Since he
was prone to seizures, his physician prescribed him Phenytoin (Dilantin). I anticipated
that the drug form prescribed would be given intravenously (IV), but as I
checked the order the drug form was in sustained-release capsule. Due to my
training when I was still a student, I made a curious inquiry with the staff
nurse that I was with. I told him politely that the doctor prescribed the wrong
form and that we should notify the doctor or the resident on duty right away. I
told him that the capsule form should not be crushed and not be given through
the NGT and that it must not be given with the feeding. To my surprise, the
staff told me that we should let it be because we must not bother the residents;
because they are busy making rounds. I told him that it would be useless for us
to give the capsule form because we won’t be achieving anything. The patient’s
family would be spending much on the medication without achieving any positive outcome.
It was not cost-effective. Again, to my surprise (I’m always surprised) he told
me that situations in books doesn’t always apply in the real world; that things
written in the books are theoretical. That was a stunning moment for me. A week
after, the patient died. Not because of the staff nurse, but because of the
complications of the patient’s illness.
In my opinion,
he was so naïve. I expected too much from him. Knowing that he’s been in the
practice as an ICU nurse for three years, he should have known better. What is
written in nursing books is evidence-based now. Even if some parts are
theoretical, these books serve as a guide for nurses to effectively manage
their patients and safely do their job. If we don’t do the accepted standards
of nursing care, how can we help our patients achieve a fast and cost-effective
recovery? The family still opted for the treatment to continue because they
still hoped for the best. The patient is in coma and is nearing death. The
situation seems hopeless, but that is not a good reason for a nurse not to do
his innate job description – a patient advocate. He has forgotten that nurses
are patient advocates. He willingly compromised his patient’s safety. Patient
safety is always a priority no matter how complicated or hard the patient’s
case may be. Again, please don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that Filipino
nurses are still the best in the world. There are still a lot of nurses in our
country who do their job well, still with passion and patient advocacy.
Nurses are the
only workers working beyond the hour without having an overtime pay. At least
for some this is true. It’s because we do what is necessary to help the patient
recover at a faster yet effective way. We could not afford to risk patient
safety and recovery just because our shift is over.
Nursing is not
only a profession. It’s also a calling; a devotion. When you do this job
without your heart in it, it would be very difficult for you to cope up along
the way. You’d easily lose the privilege given to you; you’d easily lose your
license. I strongly believe in the idea of reciprocity and good karma. When you
do good things to others, expect that good things will also happen to you. If
doing good doesn’t repay you, keep doing what you think is right. It’s the
feeling of fulfillment that counts.
Going back to
my journey, I finished having my contract as a nurse trainee January of 2012. I
left my province to venture in the busy world of Metro Manila; hoping that my
three months experience would be good enough to help me find a job. It was hard for me then to find a career in my chosen
field. Nursing career in the Philippines was scarce and still is. New
Registered Nurses are forced to work outside their field because they could
feel the pressure of being a grown-up burden to their family. Some would work
in the BPO industry, some in the Real Estate Industry, a few as private nurses.
This is the reality surrounding the lives of registered nurses.
It was not
easy from the start. I would look for hospitals to have my training with. But
the only difference is that in the Metro, you would have to pay for your
training. And paying the training won’t be a guarantee that you’d be hired
after. Though I have the full support of my family financially, I could still
feel the pain of being a burden. I could not afford to let them spend anything
for my training. So there I was. I continually looked for hospitals that offer
free training.
Hate to admit
it, but whenever I see employed nurses walking in the street wearing their
white uniform, I can’t help but to feel sad and unfulfilled. There’s a room in
my heart that questions me why I took up nursing; that a promising career awaited
me had I taken accountancy. But then everything happens for a reason. And God
alone knows it. All I need to do is to be at my very best always. Not minding
my progress but enjoying what I love to do most.
August of
2012, I received an email coming from a well-known hospital in the country. I
was up for an interview. I was so happy that time and was also nervous. My
sister encouraged me to be Optimistic and that I should always project a
positive attitude. Good thing she was there to support me emotionally. I
managed to pass the initial screening.
The initial
screening was nerve-wracking but was worth my time. I get to gauge myself more
and see the possibilities for improvement. It was no joke to be called-in for
an interview. You get to meet applicants having more qualification than you do;
applicants coming from well-known schools in the Metro and in the entire
country. In was a humbling experience for me. Your knowledge in nursing will be
tested. Not only that your personality, skills and attitude will be gauged as
well.
Passing the
initial screening won’t guarantee you to be automatically qualified for
employment. You still need to pass your medical examination in order to make it
to the third screening. It was a good opportunity that the hospital provided a
free medical examination. I’m grateful for it because it’s rare to find such
opportunity nowadays. Thanks to God, I managed to pass the second screening.
A month after,
the third screening ensued. We were interviewed by the officials coming from
the nursing department. It was another nerve-wracking experience for me. You’ll
be asked questions relating to your previous experiences as a volunteer. The
questions covered all the eleven key areas of nursing competency in the
Philippines. After the interview, we were told to wait for a final call telling
us if we did make it or not. It was an agony for me to wait. I had to. Such
opportunity just can’t be wasted.
October 8,
2012 I received a bad news coming from the province. My mother had stroke. My
big sister and I booked a flight to go back to Iloilo City. We went home by the
next day. It was again a hard situation for our family. My siblings and I were
in a dilemma. We were torn between keeping and telling our father and big
brother the real situation that our mother was going thru. My father was in Las
Piñas back then and was not aware of the situation in the province. My big
brother was out of the country. Good thing that my sister-in-law is also a
nurse, she and my other big sister decided to admit my mother to her
department. My sister-in-law is such a devoted nurse. She painstakingly took
care of my mom when I was away. She was on duty that day, but she still managed
to look after my mom and her other patients. This situation inspired me more to
do what I love most. Nursing is such devotion, that even when your shift is
over you still act as a nurse in your home. No one could take care of your
family better than you do.
October 15,
2012 I received a good news from Manila. The hospital called me and told me
that I made it through and that I should prepare all the requirements for
training; that training will ensue by the next year. I was happy that time.
Tears of joy run into my eyes. I had to tell my mother the good news. She was
so eager to get well upon hearing it and was filled with such enthusiasm to
adhere to her medical treatment.
A month after,
I brought my mother with me back to Manila. We all decided that it was best for
her to be near me so that I could take care of her. I had to bring her with me
for I know that the first three months post mild stroke is a critical period.
The infarct in her brain may either heal or worsen.
December 23,
2012 my mother had stroke again. It was seven in the morning when she woke me
up. She told me that she’s having difficulty in swallowing and that her tongue
feels heavy. So I took her vital signs and tried to see if there’s any
abnormality. She was gradually deteriorating, and I honestly didn’t know what
to do. It feels more different when emergencies happen real-time in your
family. You may sometimes forget your knowledge as a nurse. You may even go
blank and forget you’re a nurse.
My big sisters
and I went to find a hospital for our mother. We’re not yet knowledgeable of
any good hospital in the vicinity. Time was running out and we need to have our
mother be admitted and treated right away. We finally found a seemingly good
hospital and had her admitted. She was in the ICU for two days and was
transferred to a private room after. We stayed in the hospital for a week and
spent our Christmas there. It was the saddest Christmas ever. This sudden turn
of events in my life did make me sad. It was so much to bear, but it made me a
stronger person. It made me more sensitive to the needs of the patient and his
family, because I have been a patient’s family. I never lost hope and faith in
God. I still believe that all of us will have our better days. And that each morning
may be the start of a better day. It’s a matter of having the right mind-set
and having the right people surrounding you.
My journey in
life as a nurse may just be starting. But I really value every encounter.
Sharing my life events as a nurse is a way for me to share optimism. It’s a way
for me to let my co-nurses and future nurses know that we are not alone; that
one’s struggle is also a struggle of another Pinoy RN. We all could still
attain the dream that we hoped for. Even if we don’t practice our profession in
the area where we really want to be, we could still touch other peoples’ lives
and let people see that nursing is a dignified profession with a heart and
soul.
Keep on
dreaming. No one could tell you what you are not capable of. Just believe in
yourself. Have faith. Have hope. Never forget where you came from or the people
who had helped you reach your dreams and aspirations in life. When you stumble stand-up,
learn and keep on doing what you do best. When the world tells you to give-up
and makes you feel like giving up, smile back and keep moving forward. Be the
good change that you can be. And as you journey along the way, remember that
when you lose your purpose in life that’s the time when conflicts arise. Never
forget your purpose in life; your principles. It is your guide. And finally,
never forget to walk hand-in-hand with God. He is the best-friend you’ll ever
have.
Just do what you need to do as a rational person. Don't be a dummy who reads a lot of books filled with knowledge, only to grasp what is only superficial. Read between the lines and grow as you go. You were born to distinguish the difference between right or wrong. A person who easily believes what others have written or have said without scrutinizing it is a person who is easily fooled. Learn how to bend and know things from all walks of life.
Don't get too
fixated on your life's mishaps in the past. Just keep moving forward. It's nice
to reminisce what you've undergone that brought you to your success now.
When you get the
chance to recall your past with tears of joy in your eyes, that's an indication
you have moved on. You get to enjoy and reap what you've sown.
But when you recall
it, still with grudge in your heart, blaming people who have caused you pain,
or counting things you've done for others, you wont get the chance to enjoy
life, 'cause you'll waste time recalling and blaming. It's very unproductive
and time-consuming.
Things that happened
in the past have already happened. There's no point in blaming 'cause you can't
undo what had already transpired.
What you can do now
is enjoy what you currently have, and plan ahead for a brighter future.
Be broad-minded. Be
happy for the success of others.
You have to be Strong but never lose sight of weakness, for you can't measure the outcome of your success without it. Never lose faith, patience and hope, for these three will keep you going. Lastly, never forget to walk with God, He's your best-friend, your compass, and your light.
We sometimes get into relationships we thought would last a lifetime. But there would be that instance when things won't work out the way we plan them to be. Your partner may either fall out of love, depart completely, or may have found someone new to love, and you are left alone thinking what went wrong along the way.
You feel left-out, unloved, robbed of what you had. You question yourself and would try to find the answers. In the end, you'll tell yourself, "It Could have been better, had I not. . ."
