I did it!

January 2003. I had just received my Real Estate license a month prior, and my first sale was already in the middle of escrow. I was representing the buyers as they purchased their first home, and they were beginning to freak out on me. They had a million questions, and I had only a few answers. Things were not going as smoothly as I had hoped. In a desperate attempt to make my buyers happy, I enlisted another agent into the deal to help me with my buyers. The new agent quickly transferred the entire sale into her name and walked away with over 50% of my commission. I was devastated. I had just been royally screwed. Welcome to the life of a salesman.

January 7th 2003. I was still upset about the recent hostile takeover of my sale and I was sitting at the front desk of my real estate office answering phones and hoping to catch a few new leads. It was a Monday morning, and the phone hadn't made a sound in over an hour. I wandered outside and picked up the morning newspaper and returned to the front desk to enjoy the local news. Somewhere in the paper I noticed an advertisement for a Respiratory Care Program. On a whim I called the number, and my journey began.

March 11, 2003. My first day of Introduction to Respiratory Care. I was back at college, excited about this new career, and terrified to tell my parents (and my in-laws) that I wanted to do something new AGAIN. I managed to keep my new plan to myself for a while. Much like placing a fish into a new tank of water, I decided to slowly ease my parents into this new idea. I made mention of it a few times and within a few weeks they seemed supportive of my new direction.

May 18, 2006. I finished my journey. I learned that sacrifice will pay off. I learned that it is possible to take 27 units in one semester, work a part time job and still manage at 3.3 GPA! I learned that
CaO2 = (0.003 x PaO2) + (1.34 x Hb x SaO2)! I learned that my life is truly a living example of the grace of Christ. I learned that my husband often gives much more than he gets. I learned that my sister and I are more alike that I ever thought possible. I learned that my in-laws didn't care that I was tired and frustrated, I'd better get a good grade on every exam, NO EXCUSES. I learned that I can survive on only 4 hours of sleep per night for 8 months in a row. I learned that the most valuable thing my parents ever gave me was a willingness to listen to my fears understand my mistakes and and never judge me. They provided me the confidence to push forward when the odds seemed against me.

I know that some people will never see my achievement as a huge accomplishment. In fact, someone said to me the other day, "uh, you are still going there?" But for me, today was a day of completion. Because of today, I am able to define myself like never before. I have found value in myself, I have found a future for my life, I have found the confidence to set and achieve goals I would never have tried before.