Are you ready? Are. You. READY?

This single question has been on my mind for awhile. There are reasons for that and I will talk about them coming up very shortly. But I want to start, instead of thinking about the future, with thinking about the past.

Truth is, the concept of readiness is interesting to me. As many of you know (or if you don’t), I currently have my dream job. I have always, ALWAYS, wanted to be in nursing education ever since I had my first opportunity to precept as a new baby nurse myself.

Back when I worked in a teaching hospital, I was verbally told that when I enrolled in a master’s program, I could work with our then-pregnant educator as a co-educator for the unit. But then lo and behold, that pregnant educator? She went into early labor, and I was no longer eligible. That was a blow.  I wasn’t ready.

I moved to a small community hospital where I worked in another ICU and surprise, surprise (not really, if you actually know me. Lol), I was vocal about the lack of education in our small hospital. Surprisingly our then-CEO actually listened, and he made me the hospital educator under the most amazing chief quality officer ever.

I happily worked in that role until two things happened. The first was that we could no longer afford a full-time educator at our little hospital. Also, at the same time my penchant for computers and IT work was noticed. I moved into full-time IT. This was not my dream, and it was never something I ever saw myself doing. But it was something that was necessary – and lucrative – and somehow, I was in IT for over 10 years.

During those 10 years, I applied four times – 4 times! – to be a nursing instructor at a little community nursing school. Heck, I even taught a two-hour lecture on respiratory failure and the different types of ventilators! I was told by the then-director that I was a natural teacher. I’ll never forget her words or her encouragement that day. Yet somehow, I applied four times with no results.  I wasn’t ready.

I was frustrated. I was disheartened. I felt like I was never getting out of IT. I felt like my short tenure as an educator was over and would never be repeated.

The truth?

Even after all that time, I was not ready.

I thought I was ready. I loved education. I was GOOD at it.  I was GOOD at engaging people and creatively breaking down tough concepts.  I was GOOD at listening to my “students’” needs.   And yet somehow, I wasn’t ready

The best part about that story? I didn’t know I wasn’t ready. I had NO CLUE.

Let’s talk about readiness in another form. Many of you know that several years ago I became a wellness coach. I loved the fitness programs, the nutrition programs, the community, everything! But to be frank and completely honest, I was not successful as a Beachbody coach. Or, should I say, I had mild success, but it did not reflect my own personal definition of success.

The problem? I jumped in without being ready. I jumped into a team that did not match my ideals. I jumped into a team that did not value the same tenets I hold dear. I simply jumped into *any* team – because I wasn’t ready.

Again, I didn’t know I wasn’t ready.  I *thought* I was ready.  I mean, I LOVED fitness – after all, it helps keep me sane.  I love getting to know people and their goals – and helping them meet them!  And hey, I was on a team with multiple million-dollar earners.  How could I not be ready?

But I wasn’t.  So, I surrendered my coaching title a little over a year and a half ago.

All right, enough about the past.  Let’s move to the present and the future, now, shall we?

Remember that little nursing school I applied to 4 times?  Guess where God has placed me now?  And it is everything I could ever want.  EVERY DAY is a blessing.  EVERY DAY reminds me why I wanted this so badly in the first place.

My students are amazing; teaching still sets my heart ablaze.  I’m still good at it. 

And now?  Now I’m ready for it.  Now, I also have hindsight to see just how unready I truly was before.

Oh, and that coaching thing?  God had a funny way of handling that, too.  He decided to hand-pick the perfect coach for me.  He plucked her out of SOUTH CAROLINA and planted her temporarily in Pennsylvania, quite literally in the desk adjacent to mine in one of those IT periods.  He’s got a sense of humor, that One.

So, here we go again.

But this time, I’m ready.  I’m ready to love.  To serve.  To grow.  And my life is changing.

Can I ask you something?  I know, I know, I just did…  Are YOU ready?  Are you ready to change YOUR life?  Do you have a desire to love?  To serve?  To grow?

Maybe now is your time.

Are you ready?