Try, Try, TRY AGAIN

"Hope is the power that gives a person the confidence to step out and try."- Zig Ziglar

Here I go again! When I started this career I was a fresh sprout just 21 years old. Ready to conquer the world. Had minimal distractions and could live my life the way I wanted. Fast forward to 2016, I've welcomed the most powerful testimonies of my strength as a woman, my children. Within that I had to learn to balance my career goals and personal life. It is still a struggle but what pushes me on is the unwavering support I receive from my husband and children.

However, there is a side of me that feels disappointed at times. I know, I KNOW, it's just the achiever in me! I've embarked TWICE on the journey of completing my master’s degree. There were several things that held me back. It wasn't that I was incapable of handling the work. I was tired, had too much on my plate, lost my mother in death, wasn’t fully committed to the program and ultimately just didn't have the motivation to finish.

Yet despite the shame of not finishing my degree in the time frame I expected, I kept on trucking. I ultimately have decided to pursue a Masters in Dental Hygiene (MSDH), which I was initially fighting. Why? For the same reason that many hygienists state "you can't do anything with an advanced degree in dental hygiene." Read my post here to find out how I feel about that now.

I went with the MSDH program because I LOVE my profession. I want to elevate it in any shape or form. I also want to rock the boat in maximizing on my education with creativity. I've done quite a bit in the last four years of my career as an educator. I've developed and implemented a new course in our program, I was accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal, I’ve coordinated several successful events in our program, presented CE, and I am now facilitating a discussion group on a NATIONAL level (many of these opportunities came from my professional organization the ADHA…more on that in a later post). And I'm NOT done yet! What am I going to do next? I have no clue! What I do know is, it will be something that will inspire hygienists to think beyond the prophy.

How did I pick myself up after not completing my goal of finishing my master’s degree? Here are 3 tips to getting motivated after feeling defeated:

1. Know that you are not alone. Being a parent and a spouse is one of the greatest joys in my life. Be okay with making that a priority. However long it takes you to finish your degree know that the outcome is all that matters. Someone else has been in your shoes and has not given up. We are all rooting for you!
2. Always have a vision and mission for your personal and professional life. Your vision is fluid and will often change especially as your career is evolving. Stay true to that vision. Even if it has to be redirected for a short period of time.
3. Get a chance to know yourself. Self-awareness is a necessity to achieving your goals and living with intention. Know that there are no mistakes. Only decisions to learn from. Take every decision you make in life and find the lesson so that you can develop yourself, understand what's important to you, and commit to it. Find your voice and never forget to advocate for yourself and your dreams.

No matter where I am in life. I will always TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN until I reach my goals. I hope you will join me and know that you will always have a cheerleader here with me at Beyond The Prophy.