If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living.
When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in
the field ofyour bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say,
follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open
where you didn’t know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t
have opened for anyone else.-Joseph Campbell
I assessed the pros and cons of my decision. Before making the critical determination, I carefully scrutinized the advantages, the disadvantages, the expected and unexpected, and everything in between. I made a choice, but emotionally my heart uttered that I was mistaken.
The tug of war between logic and emotion is a compelling and dynamic relationship. Logic has its validity but so does emotion. Sometimes I think feelings are underrated. Some research suggests that “individuals who experienced more intense feelings achieved higher decision-making performance.” Hmm..
You’re probably wondering what I’m rambling about and where am I going with this.
Whelp, I’ll tell you exactly what this post is all about… My chatter is about grad school. To take the next class or not.
The last semester was no doubt the most challenging ever. Working full-time, caring for the home, partaking in our son’s activities, and being present in our marriage was laborious.
During the eight-week course, I second-guessed myself daily. Self-sabotage!! Did I belong in the class? Did I have what it took to pass the class? Was I smart enough? Suffocating in doubt and uncertainty, I agonized but pushed through it. The final exam was the breaking point. I thought… no, I knew for certain that I’d bomb the course, but I did not. I received a 90 on my final and passed the course with a B-. Whew!!
In the fall, I registered for the Spring 2017 semester but later realized that due to unexpected events, I should probably drop the course(s) until summer ’17. I was trying to think realistically about handling a heavy workload.
I prolonged dropping the course until the final day of drop/add. Who’d believe that procrastination can be good?
On the final day to drop without a financial obligation, I logged in to my school’s site, pulled up the classes, placed an “X” in the boxes, and reached to set my pinky on the enter button and froze.
I couldn’t bring myself to finish the withdrawl and press the enter button.
Questioning myself again, I pondered, will this class be as challenging and time-consuming? With new undertakings, will I have too much on my plate? I still could not bring myself to drop any of the classes. I texted four people who are close to me. Three of the four, including my husband responded. Their feedback helped.
I have momentum and drive; it is not the time to ease off the gas and delay progress.
My hunger and thirst for this program make my heart flutter. Simply talking about the program sends goose bumps along my arms.
The work is demanding and challenging, but that’s where the growth emerges. Finally, I’ve become quite comfortable with the sentiment of feeling uncomfortable. In strength training, you lift to failure; then you lift again. It is only through the discomfort of breaking down (tearing) the muscles and feeling sore, along with proper nutrition that we become stronger and develop muscle growth.
On the other side of this struggle awaits unexplored ventures and unknown opportunities.
Because I procrastinated, I did NOT drop my spring classes!! Hallelujah!!
This post is a friendly reminder for me and for you to stay encouraged in whatever it is we set out to do. Self-doubt is normal but pushing through the doubt is the exception. Many people succumb to fear and to doubt and give up on their dreams. They spend their life wondering, what if? Please don’t give up. Keep pushing and keep it moving. Failure means success and beats the what if’s any day. I’m delighted that I procrastinate! I know that I made the best decision as I continue to follow my bliss. 🙂
Here’s to a new semester, to new challenges, and to new opportunities in 2017! By the way, if you like what you’ve read here, please subscribe to Lexa’s Journal. Thank you!
Happy New Year!
Smooches!
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