Passion & Purpose - Dr. Kisha Christian

The book Passion and Purpose: 21 Inspiring Stories from Women in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Business, Leadership and Life quickly rose to #1 on the Amazon charts. Johanna D. Samuel and Vanessa I. Farrell were the Visionary Authors behind this brilliant collection of unforgettable stories. The St. Croix Times will be serializing all 21 of the stories in the weeks to come.

Resilience

By Dr. Kisha Christian

“You say like too much when you talk.”

“You’re a young mother. How are you going to raise a baby, study, and work?”

“A pharmacist? Who does that? Yeah right! Why not a teacher or a nurse?!”  

“Unfortunately , you were not selected, but train this new hire for the position you applied for.” 

“It’s not your time. Wait in line. Wait your turn.”

“Entrepreneur!!! Open a business? We have enough pharmacies on island. Do you know most businesses fail in a year? Where are you going to get the money to open said pharmacy? If we give you a loan, and your business fails, how will you repay the loan? 

“Sorry, your loan was denied!”

“No!” 

“You’re a failure.”

“Expansion? Bigger? You’re doing too much!”

Very early in life, rejection became first nature to me. Hearing “NO” was an everyday thing. I heard it so many times I began to think yes was reserved for a special breed of people, and I was clearly not one of them. However, every time I was told no, I somehow couldn’t take it as the final answer. I kept going! I would always find myself working toward a yes and pushing harder for whatever it is I wanted. I became focused on turning every no to a yes and proving everyone wrong when they said I couldn’t do whatever I willed. My will and constant push toward things I desired resulted in me being told, “You’re very resilient.”  

For as long as I have known myself, I’ve always wanted to do two things: be the master of my destiny and live a purposeful life. I never knew how these burning desires I had would manifest. All I knew is I wanted to be a blessing to others and live my life, my way. This mentality is probably why early on, I was considered resilient. Interestingly enough, being resilient seemed like the only choice I had and became the one thing I did right in my life. I am certain, now, that my resilience is what propelled me and continues to elevate me as I move through life - my way. Everytime I am presented with a roadblock or a no, I want to knock it down. It doesn’t even require thought; it’s just reflex at this point. 

The resilient person in me believes and practices:

• To never allow what happened to me to determine what happens to me,

• To never allow my current place to determine my future space,

• To always believe that no does not mean never; it just means not now,

• To believe that anything I can imagine I can achieve, and 

• To always stand up to Goliaths and always be armed with my three stones: Prayer, Passion, and Purpose.

I must be honest. While being resilient and living life my way, the journey to my passion and purpose came with its fair share of:

• “Oops, wrong way” instances,

• “Let’s try this again” moments,

• “Oh well, it’s only money” experiences.

• “Everything happens for a reason” pep talks, or

• “It’s not time” conversations.

The thing is these instances are what made the journey of life and the many experiences I had inspirational and continue to fuel my fire.

I can recall vividly the first time being resilient was all I could do. During my pharmacy school years, I worked at a mainstream pharmacy. Upon graduation, I applied for a pharmacy manager position at the same company I worked for throughout my college years. I was denied. The position was given to another graduate that had never worked for the company, and I had to train them. A few months later, the successful candidate resigned, and I was offered the pharmacy manager position. I accepted. My goal while working for this company was to advance to their corporate office because I knew I had a lot to offer. I had larger-than-life ideas that could positively impact the lives of people in the community.

During the time of my employment, various opportunities to advance to the corporate office became available, and I would apply. Year after year I was denied. The reasons never made sense, and every time someone else was hired for the position, I was tasked with training them. Frustration and depression eventually set in. I decided it was time for me to move back home to St. Croix where I just knew I would be appreciated. 

I moved back home and worked for two pharmacies. Within a short period of time, I outgrew both. One did not see the vision I had to help people in our community, and the other lacked the capital to sustain their homegrown independent pharmacy. History was repeating itself but now in my beloved backyard. How could this be happening? I was back home with a passion and purpose for my people, but I was producing, making an impact, and my larger-than-life ideas were not being welcomed. I decided to channel defeat and create destiny. I did the only thing I knew to do - be resilient and open my own pharmacy. Hindsight is truly 20-20, and now I realize that the doors I knocked on never opened for me because those were not the rooms I was intended to be in.

All along, my purpose was to serve as an example of what it means to be resilient.

The resilient person I had grown to love:

• Pushed me to open Neighborhood Pharmacy, an independent, award-winning holistic-and community-oriented practice that provides quality healthcare services to everyone in the community;

• Led me directly to my passion and purpose, which is to serve people in my community and be my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper;

• Allowed me to develop a wide variety of holistic, far-reaching, and impactful community-based initiatives that provide direct relief to vulnerable populations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and engage with and empower our community to be its best self; and 

• Drove me to live a purpose-driven life, full of passion!

     I encourage you to find your WHY and be resilient, and you will find your passion and purpose!

Dr. Kisha Christian was born on the island of St. Croix. She achieved her lifelong dream of opening her own pharmacy at home: Neighborhood Pharmacy. Neighborhood Pharmacy is committed and dedicated to making a difference in the community and the lives of its customers.