Higher Education
“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”
-Robert Heinlein
I completed my general education requirements at Cuyamaca College, just outside of San Diego, and at nearly 30-years-old registered at San Diego State University. I realized fairly quickly however, it was seriously over-enrolled. Some of the classes I needed had waiting lists that looked like they were selling PSPs right before Christmas or something. I had goals and plans for when I wanted to meet them, so I transferred to National University, also in San Diego, where my required classes were more readily available.
It is important to have clearly-defined goals, and if the road you are on seems not to be taking you towards those goals, or you will not reach them on your timeline, then have the courage to make the necessary changes. Do not allow yourself to merely survive in a rut, with so little forward motion that the requirements for your chosen field may be changing even while you are still plodding slowly along.
Somewhere along your path of education, business, or life in general, you may discover what you were planning on and gearing up for is not quite what you thought it was, and you can see that you are not going to enjoy it, you need to stop right where you are and re-assess things. There was a time when I was sure I was going to law school. As I progressed in my studies, however, I discovered that probably wasn’t the right path for me, as I felt myself being drawn more and more towards both public speaking and education. Two careers which work very well together, I might add!
It takes courage to begin, and it also takes courage to stop and start again in a different direction when and if necessary. Guidance counselors, your parents, and even your spouses can all provide wise advice, but ultimately, you must know your heart. Remember, success is not about only about dollars and cents. It is about doing what you love! Because if you do what you love you will always be happy, and someone will probably pay you do to it if you do it well enough. I also have seen it proven true many times among my entrepreneurial and freelancing friends, that no matter what they actually earn, they find a way to live comfortably within that money. That is because they truly love what they do, and for them, that weighs far heavier than a bigger home or a new car every two-years.
Do not wake up 10-years from now drudging through your work week at a job you hate. Take the steps now to change your life. The CHOICE is yours! If you are working just hard enough not to get fired, and being paid just enough not to quit, I can guarantee you, without ever needing to meet you, you are not loving your life. If Monday morning feels like a prison sentence to you, and your cubicle is the cell, make plans right away to hand your boss back his time card, and sign it, “Released for good behavior.”
Perhaps your career itself isn’t the issue. Maybe you are unsatisfied with your place in the company. If so, inquire into tuition reimbursement programs within your company, and find out what steps you need to take to move ahead within your field.
Early in my college days I took a speech class that quite literally changed my life. The class was Speech 101, and after I had made my first presentation, the teacher asked me to stay after class. Well, after what had happened with my first English essay, I knew better than to be expecting praise. Besides, I felt I had pretty well blotched the entire speech. My mouth was dryer than Death Valley in June, and I couldn’t even remember anything I had said. I was certain I did not make any salient points, so I prepared myself for the worst comments this teacher could dish out. A few other students gave their presentations, and then class was over. “Mr. Burke, that was a very well-delivered speech. I run our college’s Speech and Debate team, and I would like you to join.” I did the comical looking behind me to see who she was talking to, and after I determined it really was me, I sort of chuckled. “You have to be kidding me, I was terrible! I had cotton mouth, I can’t remember if I ever strung two coherent thoughts together, and well, I think you’ve got the wrong man.” She replied that I had showed tremendous poise, stage presence, and confidence, and would make an excellent public speaker.
Although I never did join the debate team largely due to time constraints, her comments inspired and motivated me then, and have continued to do so. This is just another example of a teacher taking the time to reach out to a student and let them know they had something special to offer. I carry her remarks around in my mental BlackBerry, and sometimes, when the road seems a bit too long or lonely to reach a speaking engagement, I consider that I might touch just one person’s life in the way she touched mine, and it brightens my day every time.
Many of us have an awful lot of negative tapes playing on loop in our memories. I went through a period of that when I was in the Navy, it was some time before I realized I really could contribute to the service, and I was a valuable and intelligent person. For some of you, your parents made you believe you were useless. I am sorry you went through that, but believe me, you can move on. You were not meant to walk around looking like Eeyore, the gloomy donkey friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. “Thanks for noticing me,” is all you respond whenever someone greets you. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is true, children learn what they live, and your past may not have been pretty, but you have the power to change your future. I encourage and challenge you to put to rest the things in your past that cannot be corrected, and take the proper steps to deal in a positive manner with the things can.
Think of it this way, you have this invisible, infinitely expandable trash bag attached to your back. As the years goes by, life dumps stuff in there, and you allow it to cause you to feel as though you can’t take another step because the load is so heavy. Well, I am here to tell you to pitch that stuff out. I give you permission to leave the past’s negativity behind you, and stop carrying it around with you. You will be able to accomplish so much more in the future when you refuse to allow the past to control your present. CHOOSE to lighten your load today, and plan for tomorrow with an expectation of SUCCESS.
Tags: MotivationalSpe Aker
