The Test

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I found this jewel on brainyquote.com

Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. (Richard Bach)

Hurry Sickness

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Those of you who know me are probably laughing at the very idea of me advising someone to slow down.   I often say that I was born early and haven't slowed down since.  I've written about this phenomenon sometimes called "Hurry Sickness."  When I want something to happen, I never want it to happen later, whether later during the current day or later in an unforeseen time period.  I always want things yesterday.

I see the same thing in my students, and I'm forever trying to convince them to slow down and take their time when taking a test.  To wait for things to happen in their natural course.  To do the work necessary to facilitate hoped-for outcomes, sure, but to avoid losing patience or hope when the outcomes seem "slow" in coming.  I've discovered, and I advise them, that hurrying through something makes careless mistakes more likely to happen.  Most of us aren't convinced yet.  I wish we'd hurry up and get the message!

Fear and Negotiation

Never give up; you never know until you try.

As we near the end of another semester, my mind turns once again to beginnings and endings and the fear that can come with them.  Students are graduating.  People everywhere are searching for jobs, moving to new locales for opportunities, or planning moves for better opportunities.  The whole process involves careful research and planning and, hopefully, prayer.  If someone receives a job offer, he or she has to decide whether to negotiate for a better salary.  It can be a wonderful time, and it can be extremely stressful, crazy-making, and scary.

I've written before about fear, quoting the line from "Who Moved My Cheese?" (by Spencer Johnson) that asks the reader what he or she would do if he or she weren't afraid.  When I feel fearful about something, that's the question I ask myself. 

President Kennedy said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." (http://www.brainyquote.com/)  Dictionary.com lists several definitions for "negotiate."  One is "to manage, transact, or conduct," and one is "to arrange for or bring about by discussion and settlement of terms."  I think that covers what someone may encounter in a job search/salary negotiation/relocation scenario.  As you go through the process, don't do it in fear, and don't let fear stop you from doing it.

Happy Easter

Never give up; you never know until you try.

The message of Easter--forgiveness, resurrected dreams, is there for everyone.

Happy Easter!