C’mon, friend – be like me!
I know that I can (sometimes!) come off as a bit neurotic and whiny in my online writing. (I’ll have to complain to my editor about that! THAT CAN’T be my TRUE voice – of course!). Anyway, it turns out that I am considering going back to Grad school again to prove myself to the world since all my kids moved out and I don’t have a purpose anymore (Or – I mean – to learn more stuff to help people). Whatever!
My writing reaches people in 65 countries, so join us by being uniquely you! (And by doing what everyone else does!)
Anyway, the point is that I’m not as much of a loser as I sometimes hint at because I drop words like “Grad School.” (Wait! My editor is right that our identity is not based on what we do, but on who we are as those whom God loves! I sometimes forget theological details- Whatever!)
What I wanted to say is that you should trick them when you’re young, so you have opportunities when you are older!
“What do you mean?” you ask, raptly attentive to my next sentence.
Well, a woman I was chatting with remarked offhandedly, “He is soo smart! I wasn’t lucky enough to get that!” she said. I think she meant, “Brains.”
But here’s the thing – some of the smartest people I know aren’t that smart.
For example, a PhD friend who knows more than anyone else in the world about fern frond spores (a real-life example!) said that he wasn’t the smartest person in his class, but he worked the hardest.
What if showing up is more important than whining about the fact that you THINK you missed the lineup where certain “gifts” were handed out?
We sell ourselves short in so many ways. We cancel ourselves. We say we can’t. Our vision is too small.
What if:
- We CAN win a prize at the craft fair,
- We CAN lose that weight, and
- We CAN learn new stuff (My example – today’s article)
As long as we don’t give up.
For example:
One day many years ago, I DECIDED to try for straight A’s at school. I DIDN’T stand around waiting for my profs to give me an “A” – they didn’t. Instead, I spent every last second in the free physics tutoring center until they had to kick us out when it got dark every night, AND I READ BOOKS like this one about HOW to do well in school. (There are more “tricks to learn” than “awards for the right type of brain”, I learned).
What if I showed up and had a growth mindset that I COULD grow a bit better, even if I (supremely) annoyed those around me?
Anyway, I DID get excellent grades after that DECISION (Note: Key word!) to do well.
And one potential Grad Advisor wrote me back this week to say that he would consider me for Grad school again NOW, BECAUSE I was such a great Grad student back THEN.
So, look at the opportunities dropping in my lap because I tricked them back then into thinking I was brilliant (In reality, I just showed up a LOT and worked hard!) (See the title of this article to come full circle on the point of this article).
However, I hope that none of my prospective Grad Advisors read this article, or if they do, they’ll know that it’s NOT that I’m amazing but just that I THINK that I’m amazing.1
And so, I leave you today with this profound thought to mull over:
What would you start or stop or begin or continue if you were S.T.U.P.I.D.er.*
*Note: S.T.U.P.I.D. is an “acronym” – read more HERE to find the details of this “highly patented” – definition confidential- process! (It means that you kept walking in the same direction, and didn’t give up, even though many people may have wanted you to!)
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
Oh! And spiritual growth works that way, too!
(What’s your next step on your spiritual journey, friend? Will you take it?)
My writing reaches people in 65 countries, so join us by being uniquely you! (And by doing what everyone else does!)
Photo Credit – Good Luck Is A Comin’! by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
1 (But what’s the difference when it gets right down to it?)
