If you had asked me in my mid-thirties where I would have seen myself in 10 years’ time, I highly doubt I would have said “right back in school trying to get a third degree!” But funnily enough that is exactly where I am right now. I am currently in a math class, working on concepts that I haven’t touched for about 28 odd years, as well as taking American History and Philosophy classes. I am the busiest I have ever been. In between shuffling my children back and forth from school, cooking and making sure they actually eat, working hard on trying to realize my dreams and writing my book, running my events planning and promotions business whilst also trying to start a talk show, and then staying up until 2 am or so in the morning doing homework, I barely have time to even stop and breathe. I am in the same class as students the same age as my son who, on numerous occasions, have mistaken me for the professor or the TA (teaching assistant).
And, in a weird way, I absolutely love it! I am learning so much about the history of America that I never thought I would learn. I am constantly being challenged to learn more and do better, and every night when I go to bed, I run through all the things I did that day and am truly amazed. Somehow I’ve figured out how to pack 48 hours’ worth of responsibility into just a 12-hour day. Every morning when I wake up I put on my skirt suit and I truly am ready to go and take on the world full force and learn about linear programming, or how the US constitution came to be, or even that nowadays coming to class in your pajamas is quite okay!
In all honesty, I sometimes get scared that I might not be able to get all these things done, but then I have come to realize that all these things — family, career, dreams and aspirations — are what make me unique. All these parts are extremely important in making me the person that I am today, the loving, energetic, unstoppable dreamer, and taking away any one aspect of this “me” could cause me to feel sad, depressed and unfulfilled.
I love this season of my life, it’s a season to sow and prepare for the harvest, which I’m sure shall duly come.
So, my schooling experience at this time of my life has made me reflect on how sometimes we find ourselves back in a “place” that we think we have long since finished with, or perhaps a “place” where we feel we don’t want to be at this moment but find ourselves in due to a change in circumstances. Thoughts of how old you are, how you don’t have enough time, or how irrelevant you think this “place” is to where you would prefer to be can surface and can make the experience not quite as rewarding as it should be. But these are excuses cooked up only in your mind to set limits on how high you can actually jump.
Lead the way to your dreams.
I want you to know, or perhaps this will confirm what you may have heard before, that your age is no barrier to what you can achieve in life. There is an old African adage that says: “No matter how long you make your robe, the ground will always be there for it to drag upon”, which simply means that anytime you decide to start something there is always a relevance for it in the scheme of life. It’s the right time for you to start that business, explore your passion, or chase that dream. No one understands what you want from life better than you do, so lead the way to your dreams!
Enjoy the challenges.
Often times we are so busy complaining and whining about life’s challenges that we fail to see the lessons that we are meant to learn from an experience. Last semester was very challenging for me because I kept feeling sorry for myself for opting to go back to school. I felt that I was not grasping what was being taught in class quite as fast as my younger classmates and, with all my responsibilities at the time, it was difficult for me to keep up with homework deadlines. All in all, I was starting to think that I had made a big mistake in returning to school.
But in time, as I came to appreciate that I am meant to enjoy and learn from each and every experience, I actually began to grow and flourish. Every morning now, I have a bounce in my step as I go through my very busy day. Just having a positive attitude and my openness to learning new things has totally changed my life. So, I encourage you to enjoy the trials and challenges of life, intentionally look for the lessons that can be learnt, and turn those lessons into a wealth of experience that you can draw upon every day to help build you up or use to inspire and encourage others. Remember, challenges are meant to be enjoyed!
Returning to school at age 46 (now almost 47) has opened up my mind and my brain to taking in and processing information quicker, and has given more depth to my knowledge and understanding. This, in turn, has made me a more creative thinker and more resourceful individual, not to mention how it has boosted my confidence and improved the content and delivery of my speeches whenever I’m invited to speak at functions.
FIND the lesson to be learnt from your present trials and tribulations, ENJOY it and GROW from it.
Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to you sharing your stories of courage with me here.
Sincerely,
Yemi Sholotan 