Self-Improvement

So I needed to write an essay about myself for a supplemental application for grad school.  The essay topic was about what events happened in my life, and how I dealt with them.  It asked if I was at all looking for self-improvement along the way.

I wondered if I could just post a link to this blog...

I will tell you, as I sat down to write the essay, that I stared at the screen for about ten minutes without typing a single thing.  And even when I typed out the first two sentences, I backed up and started again.

And again.

I was stuck.  How can I write this stuff for people all over the country and world, but I have a hard time writing for a counseling committee in Middle Tennessee?

I finally realized what it was--I had a limit. 600 words.  In 600 words, I had to tell these people everything they needed to know about me.  That's a hard thing to do, and I wanted to make sure I fit everything in there.

After writing the essay, I read back over it to edit.  Then I realized there was a slim chance the committee would believe everything I wrote.  Everything was 100% true, but once I put it down on paper I seemed to even doubt myself.  How can this many bad things happen to one person over 10 years?  How am I still around, and how I am THRIVING amidst all of this adversity?

Then I realized that might just be what they are looking for in a counselor.

I AM a goal-setter, a motivator, and one that looks at adversity as something that shapes where I am going.  It isn't a road-block; just a hurdle.  I am compassionate and empathetic, and what I have been through prepares me for what I will deal with in the future.

And the big thing is that I see ways I can work on "myself" daily.  There are ways I am always striving to be better at who I am--as a teacher, girlfriend, mother, human being.  I am a realist, and I know that life isn't always going to be perfect.  I'm not always going to be perfect, but I can do my best.

And when life hits a bumpy patch? I can draw on the strength of my past experience, and ride it out.

So, I finished my essay, completed other paperwork, and prepared to mail my work to the university.  I start classes sometime this year, depending on when I can register, what my schedule is with the children, and how I can budget out the money to pay.  Just a few more hurdles before I head out on my way.

By the way, I was fully intending to write more over this summer.  Between work and sleep and all the day-to-day duties, I found a wonderful thing to occupy my time: reading! I am finally working on my list of books.

And next week, I will hopefully catch my fish...