Somebody’s spirit is broken today…right at this very moment. Someone just got told what they can’t do. What they will never become. They believed it. Somebody just got told “no” again today. Another person was told “we’ll call you” after an interview. They already know what that means. We have all experienced at least one of these situations. It’s how we respond and recover that makes all the difference.
I get asked a lot about NCLEX. I try very hard to answer those questions truthfully and honestly without creating a conflict of interest (I work for a company who does NCLEX review EXCEPTIONALLY well.) I have seen students struggle with NCLEX. Students who have taken the test multiple times and are still unsuccessful. I have had students truly believe that they will give up and not take the test again if they fail the next attempt. I can only imagine how they must be feeling, but one question continues to pop up in my head. Why? Why quit? I get lots of responses. Most revolve around money. I can understand that. Almost everything takes money to do. What we don’t often realize is how expensive it is to quit.
You spend quite a bit of money to go to nursing school. You buy supplies. You have fees. You struggle. You may even have to repeat a class or two. But, by God, you make it through. You graduate…and you have never felt so alive and accomplished in your life. You celebrate only for a moment, because you know what lies ahead. You pay for NCLEX. You study and prepare. You fail. You repeat this cycle, maybe even multiple times over. Nothing seems to change. So, one day you decide that you are done. You are not taking this test again. You don’t have the money to keep giving it away for a test that you are unable to pass. So you quit. The expense comes in the next question. What now? What will you do now? A nursing degree without a license doesn’t make you any money. It very well may get you a job, but not one you will ever feel fully content with holding a nursing degree that you can’t use.
Who is watching you? What will they learn when they watch you sink in defeat? Most of the time, I hear students say “I have tried everything.” I can just about guarantee that isn’t true. What happens is we try everything WE know to try, not everything there is. Where there is a will, there is a way. My son is almost 3 years old. The learning center he attends focuses very hard on redirecting him when he says “I can’t.” I can’t is not true. The truth is, we have absolutely no idea of the amazing things we are capable of. It’s not that we can’t, it’s that we need help to see all that we can actually do. When he says “I can’t,” we say “no, you need help.” When he is shown that he really can do something, even with a little bit of help, he begins to actually believe that he CAN do it. The next time he attempts the same task, he gets better. Eventually, he completes it all by himself. He is so proud, he screams “Look, Mommy! I did it!” He beams. His little eyes light up. He smiles so hard, I think his face will break. This is what success after failure looks like….if we don’t give up.
If you want something different, you must do something different. We all need a little help sometimes. The term “self-made” makes my skin crawl. There is not one man living who is or ever was “self-made.” We all have received help at some point from somewhere. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to seek advice from others. If you quit, you will be safe from failing whatever it was you quit ever again. There will be no reward, though. If you have come to it, you have access to every tool that will help you get through it! Because, I’m sorry….after all that strife, I want the reward!
We would love to hear your story of perseverance! Please share with us! You may comment here or email us at ag@nursingforall.com
Here’s to not growing weary,
A.G.
