6 Months of Confessions!

I cannot believe it has been 6 months since the launch of Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner! Thank you for being on this journey with me. We are halfway to a year and I have learned and grown so much! Now I know that we have all learned a lot considering how non-traditional this year has been. However, as it relates to this post, I am specifically, talking about the last 6 months as it relates to the Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner blog.

Confess. Believe. Achieve. That is how it all started. In honor of this 6-month milestone, I am sharing 6 confessions with you. I'm not Usher, but these are my confessions...

1. I was not a fan of social media. I didn't understand the power of it or the community aspect of it. To be honest, I didn't see much of a point to it outside of seeing posts of friends. I didn't get Instagram until this year and my activity on Facebook could best be described as irregular. Twitter, well, we won't even go there right now. Ha! This all changed with the launch of the blog! Along the way, I have grown to really like Instagram. I'm still learning but I've come a loooonnnnggg way! I set a goal to have 600 followers on Instagram and the Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner Facebook page by the 6-month mark. So far I'm falling short of my goal on Instagram so go ahead and follow me on Instagram @ccthenp! The Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner Facebook page has exceeded my goal and expectations! Thank you for your support and engagement!

2. I was afraid to commit to publishing blog posts weekly. I decided on every other week because I lead a full life, but I've managed to publish quite a few bonus posts! Bonus posts are posts that are published during my schedule's off week. Initially, I had many weeks of content planned but I had to shift gears many times due to the uncanny year that we have had. I originally thought that the blog would primarily focus on cancer but I was inspired to do more. I realized that there was so much more to what I wanted to share and more people I wanted to help. Believe it or not, I am a pretty private person. However, through the blog, I have found the courage to share, but not only that, I enjoy sharing my story. Nevertheless, I still get nervous before publishing because I am terrified of errors. This is despite a few rounds of editing.

3. I didn't plan to start Confessions Chat with CCTHENP. It kind of just happened after the virtual blog launch party on Facebook Live. That was my first time going live ever, by the way. It started with my dad asking, "so when are you doing another video?" followed by several others asking similar questions. So, Confessions Chat has become a monthly feature on Facebook Live in which I discuss topics from the latest blog and social media posts! Speaking of social media posts, I only learned to take selfies since starting the blog. To be completely honest, I am still not confident in my skills.

4. I never thought that I would have a blog. I have always known that I would be an author and have published works including books but I never imagined that I would be a blogger. The idea was totally divine and I'm thankful that I was obedient. I had to push past my insecurity and thoughts of inadequacies to start the blog. Sometimes I am my own worst critic. I wondered how I would find the time to write but I also knew that once I started, there would be no stopping. I was going to have to be all in. I was going to have to make it happen, no matter what.

5. I did not expect so many doors to open within the first 6 months of the blog launch. I thought that it would we within a year. I am incredibly grateful. Within the first 6 months, I have been a guest on a podcast, conducted educational sessions, and became the member of the month for my writing community (See Jane Write)! I have been surprised that my posts with the most views and circulation have not been completely health-related. You can see the top 6 posts over the past 6 months here (Beach Vacation during a Pandemic, Back to School during a Pandemic, Mom Died from Cancer, COVID Amnesia, Race Matters; Equipped, Qualified & Black, Stillbirth is Still Birth ) This tells me that health topics are not all you expect from me. I plan to keep delivering!

6. Launching the blog has been a dream come true. It has officially made me a writer which has been a lifelong aspiration. I have so many ideas firing in my brain that sometimes I become overwhelmed at the thought of how I am going to write about them all. Once I recollect myself, I remember that I can only write one word at a time. I wonder if I will be able to keep the blog going as I dive deeper into book writing. I sure hope so. I Confess. I Believe. I will Achieve.

The journey so far has been amazing! I thank you all for taking the time to read what I write and for listening to what I have to say. The purpose of Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner is to share insight, promote health, and provide education. I hope that what I have to offer continues to help you and your loved ones.

May you be healthier than you’ve ever been and may you learn more than you ever imagined. Wherever you are on your journey and in whatever capacity, may your dreams come true. Confess. Believe. Achieve.

Join me in the #confessions challenge on Facebook and Instagram where you will share 6 confessions in 6 days. August 5-10! All you have to do is choose one thing to confess each day during the challenge. You can dig as deep as you like. It can be a lesson learned. It can be something you have overcome. It can be whatever you feel comfortable sharing. The goal is to engage with each other and grow together. Write each day’s confession as a post or in your story on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtags #confessions #ccthenp. Lastly, tag me @ccthenp and tag a friend or two to complete the challenge as well. Confessions are good for the soul, kind of like chicken soup!