When you were younger, you probably had a good and rough idea about what you wanted to be. For some, being an astronaut was their life’s desire, and for others, they wanted to be firemen, teachers, scientists, and doctors. If someone asked you the typical question of “what do you want to do when you are older” you probably had an answer on hand and could easily tell them the answer pretty swiftly. However, as we have grown up and aged, the answer may have become a little blurred and filled with question marks and confusion.
The way we looked and viewed the world as children was rather optimistic. We did not see all the challenges and difficulties that come with life. Instead, we were full of glee and saw the world in a bright tinted light. That is not to say that life is miserable now that we are adults. No, but it is to say that we have learned that life is not as easy as we once thought. A major hill that we must climb is figuring what we want to do with our lives. Now, that is a massive question and concern for a lot of people, especially those in their early adulthood journeys.
Maybe you are fresh out of high school and are on the path of deciding whether or not you want to go to college. Or perhaps, you have just graduated from college with a degree or qualification you do not know what to do with. Or maybe you are many years deep into your career and feel like you want to switch sectors. In all these examples, it is clear that the people within the are still trying to figure out what to do with their lives. No matter your age, life is full of uncertainties and surprises. So, while you may think you have a concrete plan of what you will do in your life, how you will achieve it, and when, it may not turn out exactly the way you originally envisioned. This is because things in life change. So, unless you can see into the future, there is no way to guarantee that your plans will go ahead unscathed or exactly how you wanted them to.
So, if you are in the process of figuring out what you want to do with your life, then one tip is to….
Have several plans and back-up plans
You must be resilient. As mentioned above, with life comes many challenges (and also many rewards), so you must be resilient in the face of any and all change or uncertainties. Being resilient is important because it can help you maintain balance when bad things happen, and it gives you mental strength.
Research, plan and organize
Another great tip that will hopefully enable you to figure out what you want with your life is to research, plan and organize. If you are starting from scratch and have absolutely no idea what you want to do (especially in terms of a career, profession, and job), then the first thing that you must do is your research. There are many types of jobs and career options to choose from in the world. All you have to do is find out which is the most suitable and appropriate for you. Doing some research is one of the best starting points to do this. Once you start searching, it is very likely that you will end up down a particular rabbit hole that may just have the answers that you are looking for.
Once you have a rough idea of what you want to do or perhaps a field you are interested in, for example, nursing, you must plan and organize your time well. So, ask yourself, ‘what are the next steps?’, ‘How do I aim to learn more about the field and the career opportunities?’ and ‘what do I need to do to become what I want to be?’
So, if you have decided that nursing is the career path for you, you will soon realize that you will need to learn and attend formal education to achieve that goal. So, you should research and find a high-ranking family nurse practitioner school to train and learn how to become a nurse.
Is nursing for you?
There are certain personality traits that nurses typically display. These include:
- Being caring – This trait is seemingly obvious but may be overlooked by some. You should really only get into nursing if you feel, believe and know that you are a caring person. This is because the job and role of being a nurse requires you to be caring. After all, you would be taking care of others.
- Have great communication skills – Nursing is also a profession that requires you to have excellent communication skills since you will be dealing and interacting with various people.
- Empathy – As a nurse, you should be able to place yourself in somebody else’s shoes (metaphorically speaking, of course). This is because having empathy will allow you to better treat your patients because instead of just following routine, you develop a mutual understanding and relationship with them.
- Attention to detail – Nursing is definitely a demanding job because you have to complete so many tasks, often in short timescales, that require a lot of attention to detail. There is no place for slacking. You must be attentive, or at least be willing to learn.
- Willingness to learn – Most of the things you will do you will learn on the job, so be open-minded and willing to learn.
- Critical time management
- Emotional stability
So, if you possess some of these traits, then it is likely with good education and training, you will make a good nurse. Nurses are critical components that help society and therefore are extremely valued and important. So, if you think you have got what it takes, you should certainly consider a career in nursing.
By Maggie Hammond
Bio: Maggie Hammond. Proud mama to two little people, and has one too many furry friends. Passionate about alternative medicine, education, the great outdoors and animal welfare.