Self-improvement
As I write this, I'm beginning to realize that although I was glad that school was over, perhaps it's my natural inclination to feel the need to be CONSTANTLY learning and growing... ALL THE TIME.
My next "course" that I'm taking is... myself. Or well... it's lots of things (now that I've proven to myself that I can get a BA degree AND a Masters degree, I guess I need a new challenge?).
Let me see if I can explain.
I've noticed a few people on FB who have heard about my masters accomplishment because my mom ran a "congratulations!" type of announcement in the local paper at home (they offer free announcements for things like graduations and weddings, I think??), and I've been getting messages along the lines of "I'm so proud of you!" and "WOW! You should be proud!" and "Holy cow, that's a lot of work!" and such, but in the back of my mind I've been thinking... so what? It's just more school - I've been going to school since I was 5, it's not like I'm not used to it! Now, I'm not saying that it wasn't hard (it WAS hard, and there were a few times that this stubborn "Taurus" bull felt like giving up!), and to all of you out there who are working on (or have completed) advanced degrees I'm not saying that you're not (or didn't) work hard too, because it really IS something to be proud of.
But right now... that's not my challenge. I've been finding that my heart has been more and more drawn to the concept of freedom than anything else. I want to be a business owner. I want to set my own hours, make my own schedule, to NOT have to work on holidays, to NOT have to worry about taking time off to visit my friends and family, I want to go on vacation, I want to be a stay-at-home mom (when we actually get around to having kids), I want to have time to dream, I want to be creative, I want to build a team and watch THEM grow and develop, I want to go on retreats and do fun things with said team members... I want to be a leader. I want to build on my talent of breaking down concepts so that they are teachable to others.
Yes, go ahead and call me a "dreamer". Go ahead and tell me that I have my head in the clouds and that I need to be more realistic with my expectations in life. But I feel like if I settle, I will always regret not having tried to do more. I would think, what could have happened if I had taken my energy and drive and made a business out of it? How different would my life be if I had done what I really WANTED to do?
THAT is my "true" challenge right now. Figuring out how to make it work. Finding the courage to put myself out there. Wondering if I'm even on the right path to begin with, but then thinking to myself, "if it's not right, then why I am so drawn to it, and why was it brought into my life?" (I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason). And the hardest part... to keep going even when others tell me that there's no point, and to keep going even when I'm not sure how everything will end up. You think school is hard? At least in school you can study. But how do you study for a test against yourself?
But anyway... I've digressed a bit (sorry!). One of the reasons for this post is to share my newest "course" that I'm taking, and I've already mentioned that it's "myself". Well, I figure that if I'm going to be putting myself out there, and if I'm going to be doing a "home" business, then separating "home" from "work" is going to be a challenge. In fact, I've learned already from the various conferences I've attended, that, if stuff is happening in our lives, it effects our work, and if stuff is happening in our work, it effects our lives. The whole inter-connectedness thing. One of the things that I've gained access to is the opportunity to participate in a goal-setting program that is called a "Dream Escape". It includes a "Dream Workbook" where I'm taken through several steps, all centered around figuring out what I want, and how I'm going to get there.
So... now we're finally getting to the part where I'm going to ask all of you (who read this, anyway) for some help.
The first section of the workbook includes having me figure out who I am. I have to make a list of what I think my strengths are, and a list of what others think my strengths are, and then compare the two lists and pick out common themes/ideas. Some of you may have seen my recent post on FB asking my friends to tell me what my strengths are. It's suggested that I specifically ask those who know me best about my strengths, rather than just anybody, which is why I felt I should make this into a LJ post (which is more personal) rather than a FB post (less personal, and sometimes seemingly more for "show"). The downside... not all of us are on LJ much anymore (though I know some of you are).
So... this next challenge in my life is important to me. Just as important (if not more important) than my schooling (I believe this is a part of my "schooling", as I'm continuing to be drawn to growing and developing). So, if you've managed to have the time to read this long-winded post (Ha - that's another strength of mine, isn't it? Being long-winded!), then I hope that you'll consider taking some time to reflect on what you think my strengths are. You don't have to post them to the world in public (you're free to email me at SimplyKimmi@gmail.com or send me a private message either on here or on FB), and you don't have to do it right this second (I've found a couple people who have said they want to take a couple days to really reflect and give me a full and honest answer) - just, if you can find some time at some point... I'd really appreciate it. (and furthermore, if you've made it to the end of this post, I appreciate that too - congrats!).
As always, thanks for listening to my ramblings. This "self discovery" quest that I've been on over the weekend has me feeling all emotional, pensive, nervous, excited, motivated, discouraged... you name it, I've felt it, pretty much all in the past 24 hours (I've actually spent most of the day crying quite honestly - hey, no pain, no growth, right?!). So thanks for letting me talk it out.
Love you guys! *hugs!*
My next "course" that I'm taking is... myself. Or well... it's lots of things (now that I've proven to myself that I can get a BA degree AND a Masters degree, I guess I need a new challenge?).
Let me see if I can explain.
I've noticed a few people on FB who have heard about my masters accomplishment because my mom ran a "congratulations!" type of announcement in the local paper at home (they offer free announcements for things like graduations and weddings, I think??), and I've been getting messages along the lines of "I'm so proud of you!" and "WOW! You should be proud!" and "Holy cow, that's a lot of work!" and such, but in the back of my mind I've been thinking... so what? It's just more school - I've been going to school since I was 5, it's not like I'm not used to it! Now, I'm not saying that it wasn't hard (it WAS hard, and there were a few times that this stubborn "Taurus" bull felt like giving up!), and to all of you out there who are working on (or have completed) advanced degrees I'm not saying that you're not (or didn't) work hard too, because it really IS something to be proud of.
But right now... that's not my challenge. I've been finding that my heart has been more and more drawn to the concept of freedom than anything else. I want to be a business owner. I want to set my own hours, make my own schedule, to NOT have to work on holidays, to NOT have to worry about taking time off to visit my friends and family, I want to go on vacation, I want to be a stay-at-home mom (when we actually get around to having kids), I want to have time to dream, I want to be creative, I want to build a team and watch THEM grow and develop, I want to go on retreats and do fun things with said team members... I want to be a leader. I want to build on my talent of breaking down concepts so that they are teachable to others.
Yes, go ahead and call me a "dreamer". Go ahead and tell me that I have my head in the clouds and that I need to be more realistic with my expectations in life. But I feel like if I settle, I will always regret not having tried to do more. I would think, what could have happened if I had taken my energy and drive and made a business out of it? How different would my life be if I had done what I really WANTED to do?
THAT is my "true" challenge right now. Figuring out how to make it work. Finding the courage to put myself out there. Wondering if I'm even on the right path to begin with, but then thinking to myself, "if it's not right, then why I am so drawn to it, and why was it brought into my life?" (I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason). And the hardest part... to keep going even when others tell me that there's no point, and to keep going even when I'm not sure how everything will end up. You think school is hard? At least in school you can study. But how do you study for a test against yourself?
But anyway... I've digressed a bit (sorry!). One of the reasons for this post is to share my newest "course" that I'm taking, and I've already mentioned that it's "myself". Well, I figure that if I'm going to be putting myself out there, and if I'm going to be doing a "home" business, then separating "home" from "work" is going to be a challenge. In fact, I've learned already from the various conferences I've attended, that, if stuff is happening in our lives, it effects our work, and if stuff is happening in our work, it effects our lives. The whole inter-connectedness thing. One of the things that I've gained access to is the opportunity to participate in a goal-setting program that is called a "Dream Escape". It includes a "Dream Workbook" where I'm taken through several steps, all centered around figuring out what I want, and how I'm going to get there.
So... now we're finally getting to the part where I'm going to ask all of you (who read this, anyway) for some help.
The first section of the workbook includes having me figure out who I am. I have to make a list of what I think my strengths are, and a list of what others think my strengths are, and then compare the two lists and pick out common themes/ideas. Some of you may have seen my recent post on FB asking my friends to tell me what my strengths are. It's suggested that I specifically ask those who know me best about my strengths, rather than just anybody, which is why I felt I should make this into a LJ post (which is more personal) rather than a FB post (less personal, and sometimes seemingly more for "show"). The downside... not all of us are on LJ much anymore (though I know some of you are).
So... this next challenge in my life is important to me. Just as important (if not more important) than my schooling (I believe this is a part of my "schooling", as I'm continuing to be drawn to growing and developing). So, if you've managed to have the time to read this long-winded post (Ha - that's another strength of mine, isn't it? Being long-winded!), then I hope that you'll consider taking some time to reflect on what you think my strengths are. You don't have to post them to the world in public (you're free to email me at SimplyKimmi@gmail.com or send me a private message either on here or on FB), and you don't have to do it right this second (I've found a couple people who have said they want to take a couple days to really reflect and give me a full and honest answer) - just, if you can find some time at some point... I'd really appreciate it. (and furthermore, if you've made it to the end of this post, I appreciate that too - congrats!).
As always, thanks for listening to my ramblings. This "self discovery" quest that I've been on over the weekend has me feeling all emotional, pensive, nervous, excited, motivated, discouraged... you name it, I've felt it, pretty much all in the past 24 hours (I've actually spent most of the day crying quite honestly - hey, no pain, no growth, right?!). So thanks for letting me talk it out.
Love you guys! *hugs!*