Do Not Get Busted!

In other words, practice what you preach!

Busted in slang terms means being caught in the act. Have you ever been caught doing something you are not supposed to do?

Hello and welcome to the podcast!

My name is Ezanya and this is my podcast!

We have taught our little one to wash his hands after going to the restroom. Recently, I was leaving the restroom and I heard him call out: “Mommy, you did not wash your hands.” I chuckled, came back and washed my hands for him to see.

This put a smile to my face because it meant that what we were teaching him was being practiced and we were trying to practice what we preached.

How often do you hear it said “Do as I say not as I do”? How bad would it be that I teach my son to do something and I turn around and do otherwise? It makes it seem like what I am telling him to do is not important.

If we raise up our kids to just do what we tell them and not what does that say of our character, what kind of kids would they become?

What kind of leaders would they grow up to be? What would their generation be like?

I recall a situation when I was learning about Electron Microscopy so that I could work in the Electron Microscopy (E.M) Department. During the course of my training, I remember the lead telling me not to use ink to write the labels that would go into the plastic blocks. I said OK.

One day, she was off and I was covering for her and I told myself, what would happen if I used ink to make the labels? So, despite my better judgement, I used ink!

I learned the hard way. The ink was washed/dissolved into the plastic and the labels to identify the blocks were not readable. Thank God, I had my own identifiers and I was able to fix the error. This was not a case of do as I say but a case of me not listening. I told the lead what happened and I never repeated that mistake again.

I share all that to say, I am currently part of a team training students going into the field of histotechnology. What type of trainer would I be? I do not want to be busted for showing short cuts to get the job done quickly but the type of person who shares knowledge that is beneficial and applicable too.

Today, the field of histology needs new histotechnologists who are confident, know about the field of histotechnology and are also passionate about what they do.

As an older technologist, it is my honor to share my knowledge and it also reminds me of parenting too. I have been blessed to have learned from some of the best histotechnologists who have been part of my histotechnology journey.

Proverbs 22:6 says “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Which I will paraphrase to say Train up (my son and the student histotechnologists) in the way they should go; even when they are old they would not depart from it.”

That is one way to stay away from being busted!

So have you ever been busted by your kid? And what did that teach you?

Doing Things Well & Excellently

This week, I had a conversation with a loved one that challenged my actions. I was reminded to do things excellently and by doing that it meant doing one thing at a time well.

Are you that person that starts something and rarely finish?

Do you have projects that never end? Are you that person who offers to bake, make a quilt, a scarf or jewelry for a gift and do not finish it? If so, keep listening and if not, share the podcast 😉

Do you often find yourself apologizing for not finishing what you started?

Guys, this is all ME!

What does this have to do with excellence?

Excellence according to the dictionary means the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Starting things and not finishing it is not excellence. To me it is a collection of clutter and a spot for “sacred items” that I tell my husband not to move or touch. I tell myself, I will finish these things and end up not finishing them.

As a parent excellence is important because I am showing my kid it is important to do one thing at a time and do it well and then move on to something else.

To apply excellence to what I have been talking about the past couple of months- potty training- I had to buckle down to make sure my son got it right. The benefits of doing this is that my kid grows up to be the kid who is confident, when he is invited to stuff he will not be afraid or worried about kids teasing him for still wearing a diaper or pull up and so much more.

What else do I need to add to being excellent?

-The road to excellence is not easy. Potty training cost me many hours of sleep. There were moments, I would confess I told my kid; Dude, you are wearing a pull up, pee in your pull up! That was not being excellent, I had to make sure that when he said he wanted to go, I went with him. I did not complain or gripe or grumble but encourage him in this phase, even if it meant carrying him back to bed because he was tired 😄 As a parent, this was my role to help him.

-Every good thing takes time and practice. “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you are good. It is the thing you do that makes you good”- Malcolm Gladwell. As a histotechnologist, how did I get here, what does it take to be a histotechnologist? I did not wake up one morning and became one, I learnt from the best, from my mistakes and more. When I had to embed, I did not just throw a piece of tissue into the embedding mold! I had to take into account what the pathologist assistant (PA) had sectioned and I had to place it in a way that when it was sectioned, the pathologist would see what part of the tissue they were looking for.

-Excellence is also about keeping my word. It is not fun to keep apologizing- though there is nothing wrong with saying sorry. But think of it this way, your word is your bond! If you say you would do something, do it. The more I do it, the better I get at it.

I talked about my love or desire to sew. I go to Joann Fabric and I am in Fabric heaven. The more I sew, or complete the gifts I promised, the better I become and my next project is much improved.

Just like my baking of banana bread has improved from the first time I made it with my best friend (y’all it had tasted like soap and we threw it away) and now I can make it and be proud to offer my banana bread. I follow a recipe and can almost tell when the recipe is off.

At the end of this conversation with my loved one, I decided:

  1. I am going to finish that baby blanket that was supposed to have been done in December of 2018

  2. I am going to finish that baby quilt…. yes… that was supposed to have been done in August of 2014

  3. That goal of beginning to prep from couch to 5k and possibly doing a mini marathon, will be the next thing… My dears, keep me accountable here!

I need you to help me- if you have run before and have tips do share with me please. Find me on Instagram or Twitter and email me too at theizorapodcast@gmail.com

Are you one of the people I had mentioned earlier?

What will you do excellently? Let me know

Have a great week,

Always,

Ezanya

The Genesis

In the beginning or once upon a time…

That is how all good stories should begin.

In the beginning a girl decided she was tired of doodling and writing down her thoughts. She decided to do something with her doodling so she created a podcast. This girl had questions about working, going back to school and being a parent all at the same time. She looked and searched for a guide or a template or something to help and to guide her but she found none that was unique like her; an American who grew up in Nigeria, who loved different spicy foods and loved the guitar even though she could not play it…

She decided to create something, and document the process and the journey.

Here is where she started and it all begins

Once upon a time.