Hello everyone, I hope you are all well today. One of the many things that I think we should all have is goals and aspirations. Achievement is one of the best feelings in the world. This is heightened in my opinion when a person accomplishes a goal or dream that naysayers told a person they couldn’t do or accomplish. People should form goals that they wish to accomplish. As an individual, I often come up with goals and time frames that I would like to accomplish. For example, in 2018, I accomplished two of the biggest goals that I had.
First, in August 2018, I graduated from Walden University with a Masters degree in Business Administration. I had a prior stint in graduate school from 2011 – 2012. I had attended Morgan State University for the Masters in Social Work program. My undergraduate degree is in Social Work. I obtained it from Morgan State University in 2009. I endured many obstacles in pursuit of my degree. There were many things I experienced in my life during my first stint. Sadly, I never completed the MSW program. There were many reasons why my first stint did not work. Still, I knew I wanted to pursue and obtain a masters degree. I elected to attend Walden late 2015 when I encountered an informational table at one of my medical appointments. I had been thinking about completing my Master’s degree for a while. I knew I had an interest in Business by that point. At this point in my life, I am still debating whether or not I will complete my MSW. It seems unlikely based on all of my hardships, however, I believe that we should never say never. I decided to begin my journey at Walden January 2016.
At the beginning of my time at Walden, I was met with additional challenges. First, my now ex-husband and I had one of the worst arguments ever. We were having problems for a while, but this argument signified the end of our relationship. I did well in my first two classes. By the start of my third course in My 2016, my ex-husband and I separated. Due to my mental and physical health at the time in addition to working full time, I elected to take a leave of absence. I also struggled with this third course and I did not want to fail.
Despite my separation, I still tried hard to remain civil and friendly to him. Sadly, he did not reciprocate that. Eventually, I had to permanently let him go to heal. I was saddened that I had to take the leave of absence from school. However, I realize it did me some good. Things slowly improved for me. That relationship is a discussion for another time. I did re-enroll at Walden January 2017. For the most part, my grades were good considering I still had a lot on my plate during my time at Walden. Eventually, we filed for divorce. My actual hearing was during my hardest class ever – Managerial Finance. I was grateful to God for that C. Many people in my class struggled and I do not think everyone in that class finished the remaining course as a result. When I finished my final course, nothing could contain my joy.
Many people questioned me about my choice to attend school, knowing I struggled profusely. It is not that I am incapable of getting through school, I had many factors that played a role. If I only had school to focus on, I would have gone a lot further. I still did extremely regardless.
The second thing that I accomplished was finally obtaining my driver’s license in November 2018. I wanted to go to driving school in 2000. My mother told me no. I was 15/16 at the time. I did eventually go to driving school for the first time during the summer of 2007. I also had a horrible experience at the time. That school is no longer in existence and I am not the least bit surprised. When I started working at my current job in 2010, one of my trainers taught driver’s ed on the weekends. We had been practicing off and on for years. Additionally, I went to driving school for the second time the same week I started at Walden. I tried and failed the driving test many times. I cried so much because of it. I wanted to give up so many times. Still, I was determined to pass. I passed the day before Thanksgiving 2018 and I could not contain my joy.
Current goals now are to obtain a higher paying job. I accepted a part-time position to supplement the income of my full-time job. I have bills, and it is increasingly hard to pay them. Additionally, I am now about to start repaying my student loans. Third, I want to obtain a car. I have also researched auto insurance, and the costs are astronomical. I have to eventually get my own place to live. The point that I am trying to make is the grind doesn’t stop. I work hard and I will do whatever it takes to reach my goals. I encourage every one of you to stop at nothing to reach your goals.
As you can see from my story, I have experienced a lot. I overcame a lot. I am still adding more goals and working to accomplish them. Life happens. We are not immune to the trials and tribulations of life. We might not always be able to accomplish the goals in the timeframe we want to. However, it is important to still pursue them. There are other goals that I have. I want to become a published author to fully tell y story. I want to be a motivational speaker. There is no bigger goal I have ever had than becoming a mother. I had miscarriages in the past, so I am looking at adoption. I want to do this by the age of 40.
Whatever your goals are, continue to reach for starts and accomplish them. I love you all. I believe in you. Best wishes. Stay blessed. ~ Rayne Elise.
Discovery Journey 