my nursing school journey: how I went from barely passing high school to where I am today

Everyone's paths, stories, and childhoods are unique, and play such a monumental role in how we are shaped as people. I thought it may be valuable to sit down and share my perspective as someone who had somewhat of a non-traditional path into the healthcare and nursing world. I had no direction in high school. I was lost, struggling immensely with my mental health, and had no concrete idea about what I was going to do with my life in any way. Slowly, through help from my support people (my family) and through growth and maturation, I came into the person who I know today.
I always felt a little at odds entering college into a major with pretty much no previous schooling, alongside people who had taken AP sciences and had been deadset on nursing from a super young age. Comparison is the thief of joy but unfortunately I would compare myself at times. It felt like I was learning from the ground up in all of my prerequisites, since I had barely passed and pretty much never attended these classes in high school, and it made the whole process more difficult and daunting. However, I found my love for learning and I have always been hard-headed, and I kinda put my nose to the grindstone to work toward my goals. Now, in my final semester of nursing school and of college, it's wild to look back over my entire trajectory and see the well-rounded, more educated, and more enlightened person I have come to be.

I hope that my story can offer a little peace of mind, maybe a different perspective or some insight. I'd also just like you all to know me better, so I hope that even though I'm a bit of a rambler, my point gets across. :)
You can do hard things! Don't let anyone (or yourself) tell you differently. No one's path is entirely linear- life just isn't built that way. Give yourself grace, show up for yourself, and most importantly, enjoy the journey. I cannot stress this all enough.

chapters:
0:00
1:55 middle & high school
7:40 a bit of a turning point
9:27 nursing school?
11:45 college apps
12:43 pre-nursing
15:20 learning to love learning
17:42 growth
19:18 balance
20:34 motivation vs discipline
23:21 self care