When Failure Turned Into Success: Molly's BTS Experience

by Molly Mullins

In the summer of 2014, I had completed 5 years of nursing school, graduated with honors, was madly in love and had a full time job waiting for me; yet I had never been so disappointed in myself. Why, you ask? 

Well, one stupid test had me believing I wasn't good enough and erased all of my great accomplishments in my head. I had failed my nursing boards and was not taking it well. Then one night that I ran into my mentor, Trisha Jacobson. She asked if I would be interested in joining the Pathways to Success Team and attend Breakthrough to Success with Jack Canfield. My heart told me to go but my head kept making excuses about why I couldn't. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I needed something to get me through the challenge. The opportunity was sent my way and I decided to go for it.

BTS brought out a lot of anger and sadness that I needed to release. I thought about things I had never thought about and realized why I was the way I was. I was in tears most of the training days but left the training with a better understanding of myself as well as a boost in confidence that I was able to bring back to my life. 

BTS allowed me to open up about my life to complete strangers. They were non-judgmental and supportive. They encouraged me to follow my dreams and not listen to what others were telling me to do. This was a freedom I had never experienced. 

Trying to explain my BTS experience is nearly impossible. I am so glad I went. There is not a day that goes by that I don't use the skills I learned and the self-awareness I gained.

Being a nurse and a human being in general, it is easy to practice the success principles and see the good in people. I am constantly looking at how I affect other people and the way having a positive mindset makes my life more enjoyable and attracts others to me. I find that approaching my patients with respect and trying to understand why they are the way they are makes me able to take better care of them. 

I am proud of who I am now and  can honestly say I am good at what I do. When teaching my students, I can truly relate to them and provide them with the confidence they need to move forward. I am reminded that everyone starts from the bottom and the journey upward is a wonderful one.

The success principles don't go to waste in personal life either. There are many times when I find my discussions with people more productive because of tools that Jack taught me. I am not afraid to help others recognize their own problems within so that they can better understand their ability to communicate effectively. I also find that I have become an advocate for others to achieve their goals whether small or large. The list goes on and on. I will never forget what I learned in August of 2014.

Most of all, I learned that I'm glad I failed my nursing boards because even though I did, I still had honors from five years of nursing school, I was still madly in love, I still had a full time job waiting for me and I got an amazing lesson from Jack Canfield that will carry me through the rest of my life.

Molly is 23 and lives in North Conway, NH with her fiancé Chris and their cats Hunter and Loki. She maintains a busy nursing practice, is a clinical instructor and incorporates the success principles into her work with her patients and students.

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