Anatole France said: Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.
The longer I teach- heck- the longer I live!- I know that to be true.
I just received a very nice phone call from a student in one of my graduate classes in Criminal Justice. He is a retired police officer who has decided to get a Masters Degree. He is a self-proclaimed Luddite with a deep suspicion of the Internet- and yet he is taking the classes online, and doing very well. He did not call me to praise me for erudite online lectures, or the hours I put in reading and grading and responding to discussions.
He called to thank me for the encouragement I have given him throughout the course.
Now, that was encouraging!
How simple it is to reach out and help someone along the way! To encourage means to give heart to someone. To give them the strength to keep pressing forward. Not to carry them or not even necessarily to clear the road for them- just to infuse them with that sense of believing in themselves because someone else believes in them.
So, whatever it is- give a try!
There is always going to be someone who did what you want to do first, and is doing it great. Remember, there was somebody else doing it before them, and they just kept going. It is called progress. Put your own special brand on it. Give the world the best you have and do not worry about what other people are doing.
Be that person who decides on a path, puts all their effort and creativity in to it and just does it.
Do not look at the downside, the dark-side, the why-me side.
Abyss!
Abysmal!
My prayer for you and for all of us is that there is someone in your life who shouts louder than those voices telling you to give up. And even if there is no one else to cheer you on- you always have me!
And that's poetiquejustis.
