Twice now, I've come across that question. The first time was in a little book called, Who Moved My Cheese? that told a tale that was an allegory for embracing change. The second time was in an article in a magazine about a woman who went to a weekend class to help her overcome her fear of flying.
It got me thinking about how fear can make us do things, but can also keep us from doing things. If you're terrified of flying, it will put a huge dent in your ability to travel very far. You might have to limit your experience of other places to what you can look at in travel magazines. Or if you're afraid of talking in public, you may be unable to participate as well as you could in a meeting or in a classroom. Which, of course, always reminds me of how so often students will say, "I was so nervous to go back to school, at first..." What a waste! Because they're almost always very surprised - and proud of themselves - that they "did it"!
I always remember the words of an advice columnist some years ago who was responding to a man who said he'd always wanted to be a doctor, but he's already almost 40, and medical school and an internship would take 5 years. So by the time he finished, he'd be 45. She responded: How old will you be in 5 years if you don't go to medical school?
Remember the recruiting slogan, "Be All That You Can Be!"? You might be thinking it could take four or five years to get a college degree. But how old will you be in four or five years if you don't get a college degree? You'll be that much older and you still won't have a college degree.
So here's my pitch: Give Granite State College some thought. Are you just afraid you can't do it? Try this: Start with just one class. Maybe even an online class. You might just be surprised.
It got me thinking about how fear can make us do things, but can also keep us from doing things. If you're terrified of flying, it will put a huge dent in your ability to travel very far. You might have to limit your experience of other places to what you can look at in travel magazines. Or if you're afraid of talking in public, you may be unable to participate as well as you could in a meeting or in a classroom. Which, of course, always reminds me of how so often students will say, "I was so nervous to go back to school, at first..." What a waste! Because they're almost always very surprised - and proud of themselves - that they "did it"!
I always remember the words of an advice columnist some years ago who was responding to a man who said he'd always wanted to be a doctor, but he's already almost 40, and medical school and an internship would take 5 years. So by the time he finished, he'd be 45. She responded: How old will you be in 5 years if you don't go to medical school?
Remember the recruiting slogan, "Be All That You Can Be!"? You might be thinking it could take four or five years to get a college degree. But how old will you be in four or five years if you don't get a college degree? You'll be that much older and you still won't have a college degree.
So here's my pitch: Give Granite State College some thought. Are you just afraid you can't do it? Try this: Start with just one class. Maybe even an online class. You might just be surprised.
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