A New Map

Today is the second day of summer! What do you plan to do? Its the perfect time to start mapping out your road of dreams. This summer I started the STAR Program at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. Can you believe how many different aspects there are to the medical field? There are medical illustrators for those who are artistically skilled; Pediatric ER docs for those who love trauma and kids; electro physiologists for those interested in electricity, heart, and surgery.

I started this program determined to enter the pharmaceutical field as a researcher or as a pharmacist. Now my head is spinning just three weeks into it. It's exciting and wonderful to see how much passion the people within Ochsner have for their job. One thing that I've heard from every single one of them is this: "Do what you love. Don't do it because of the pay, the hours, or because someone tells you to. Don't worry about debt because if you love what you do, you'll get through school and become the person you want to be. When that happens, the pay will eventually come and the debt will disappear." I've heard this over and over throughout my educational career.With one more year until college, I'm beginning to question myself. Am I truly entering the pharmaceutical field for me or am I doing it because someone told me to do so?

For years I heard people tell me "Oh you're perfect for this field. It's simpler and the hours are wonderful etc." I heard it so much that I eventually believed it myself. Now I'm rethinking my map. Is it going in the direction I want or am I looking the other way and letting someone else draw it for me? I'm remapping my goals and starting from the bottom. It's not too late to do so. I wish you guys luck in mapping out your dreams. If you find yourself stuck in a rut like me, then you can either relax and work on it later. Or you can work your behind off to find a way to get a goal or to reach the one you already have.I'm putting my trust in God and I'm praying that he'll guide me in the right direction. anywho.

The main point is to make sure that the goal you want or have is the one that's going to make YOU happy not your parents, not your grandmamas or aunts or uncles or friends. It has to make you happy. Don't forget that..actually you won't be able to. You'll be hearing it many more times.

Today is the first day of Summer!

What kind of summer do you plan to experience this year?
A summer full of adventures? A relaxing, quiet summer? A summer of studious accomplishments? Or a summer of romance?
Regardless of the goals you want to achieve on your break,how about adding one more special thing to your summer list?
How about spending it reading my blog posts? Just kidding!(That would be great too,though)

How about finding something inspiring?
Volunteer at an animal shelter or visit a nursing home,helping your parents around the house,spending more time with distant relatives,getting out of the house and exercising,taking care of the garden and lawn,learning how to do new things,reading interesting books,or sitting back and absorbing all of summer's fine nature.

If not the inspiring actions, how about the inspiring thoughts?
Here are a few quotes pertaining to the summer theme:

"If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance." ~Bern Williams

"In summer, the song sings itself." ~William Carlos Williams

"Do what we can, summer will have its flies." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Celebrate Summer - Sun drenched days and starlit nights..." ~Gooseberry Patch

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time" ~John Lubbock

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language" ~Henry James

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That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed this blog and plan to make use of your summer vacation!