Getting from Point A to Point G (Graduation) & Beyond…

Author: Darlene Jorgens

Upon enrollment in the Genesis School of Natural Health, I remember reading everything possible on the website and then absolutely devouring the information posted on the Student Forum page. Once, I received my letter of acceptance it was official!  A few days later my first books arrived, I printed out my tests and was putting feet to my dreams.  Life was exciting and fantastic!

It wasn’t long before I started getting ‘hit’ with life in a very different way. My elderly mother began to have some lapses in her health.  I would pack up my books and make the 16-hour drive to her house. Family was not always receptive to my new-found insights so I took comfort in offering the few things I could.  I made a salve using beeswax that helped to heal my mother’s toes where MRSA kept setting in. I also made bone-broth soups for nourishment (thanks to the GAPS book) and kept my visits joy-filled.  It usually wasn’t long before she was stable again and it was time to leave.  Gathering up my untouched books, I planned on getting to them when I returned home.

The last time my mother became ill, it happened suddenly.  My sister had taken my mother to the hospital and within three hours my husband and I were packed and on the road.  When we arrived in the middle of the night we learned that mom had a stroke.  Within a few days she was moved to hospice and my brothers, sister, and I sat vigil for days.  Waiting…  All other priorities were laid aside and my mother, when she was ready, peacefully found her place in eternity.  Eventually, my siblings and I returned to our homes.  Back to all the sameness, and yet I was different.  It was now time to de-“stress”, time to nourish my own body, time to grieve, and then time to re-prioritize

This is one of the beauties of the online study program at GSNH.  How comforting to know that we can take time for ourselves and others when we need it.  Personally, I am grateful that Genesis School of Natural Health does not have a rigid study timeline for each phase because there were times in my own studies that I needed to focus elsewhere and not feel the added pressure of my classes.  I would not have been able to keep up otherwise.

However at times, there were a lot of other things that got in the way and although many of them very very good things, I allowed my studies to fall by the wayside time and time again.  “The devil is in the details” is a proverb that speaks to the ease by which we can become sidetracked and delay or even completely miss meeting our goals.  To get back on track, I took a hard, honest look at where I was spending my time.  I found things like too much Facebook and YouTube.  I spent a good deal of time doing extra-curricular studies, Facebook groups that I joined for the information but turned into someone else’s power trip, or a following “teasers” in search of real information that never seemed to be forthcoming.  I also realized that there were things I was doing for other people that they were quite capable of doing for themselves.  There were also projects that seemed like great ideas but really could have waited, and on and on.  So much wasted time!   I wonder, can anyone else relate?

Ultimately our lives will reflect the quality of the choices we make each day.  So we need to make good choices and be purposeful about our priorities.  Here is an exercise that can help bring clarification.  Name five goals that you would like to accomplish over the next two years.  Then set your five year goals.  If you are very motivated, try setting ten year goals as well.  Next, post them somewhere you can see them frequently like on the bathroom mirror or the refrigerator.

There are different ways of doing this exercise.  You can think of them as individual goals, business goals, or a combination of both.  You could also choose to work through this with your spouse or another important person in your life and incorporate their goals as well.   I guarantee you will be amazed at the way your goals can become a reality once they are acknowledged and become an intentional part of the fabric of the priorities you weave in and out of your days.

What techniques do you use to overcome the tyranny of the urgent and the multitude of tasks that present themselves each day?  We would like to hear from you!

(Copy and paste the form below to write out your goals.)

Goal Setting

Name:  _______________________________     Date:  _____/_____/______

Two Years

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________

Five Years

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________

Ten Years

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________