Inspirational Words

"I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buldings down will hear all of us soon." President George W. Bush spoke these words on September 14, 2001, three days after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. It was at that moment that I felt something that I had taken for granted since I was a teenager. That thing was true national unity.  In the wake of the cowardly, evil actions that were intended to cripple our great country, President Bush addressed the nation in such a way that panic was relieved, and people genuinely knew that we would get through this as a nation united.

Not since the famous speech given by President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin, in which he famously asked Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" (referring to the Berlin Wall), had I been so moved by a man's words.  In both instances, if only for a moment, it felt as if our entire nation was standing shoulder to shoulder behind our president.  And in both cases, America's star was shining just a little brighter.



Often times, the very inspiring words of President George W. Bush are overshadowed by political perspectives.  I feel that regardless of your viewpoints on the War on Terror, or President Bush, those words should be remembered in the context in which they were spoken. I've witnessed many things and lost friends in the years since this speech, but I am still moved to the point of tears everytime I hear it.

Distractions and Motivation

When making the decision to choose a career path or to enroll in college, many factors come into play.  Questions regarding job outlook, the financial burden of attending college and time commitment are all common issues one must address before making such a decision.  So, the next steps are to research the job market, using the best predictive skills you have, apply for financial aid (and perhaps apply for a job) and to weigh the time commitment against the benefit of receiving a degree.  While going through this decision process, I often times found myself confused and stressed out.  I wasn't a traditional student going through this process, I was a married 35 year old with a 15 year old daughter.  I had spent a considerable amount of time in the military, and was already working at Mayo Clinic. But still, when I had made it through this decision process and dedicated myself to pursuing a degree, I was sure that the most stressful part was behind me.  I could not have been more incorrect.  The real anxieties of college, and life, were still ahead of me.

Approximately 21 months ago, my wife and I found out that we were expecting an addition to the family.  This would be the first child we had together, as my older daughter is from a previous marriage.  Upon hearing this wonderful news, I became additionally motivated to do well in school and to make sure that I was on the correct career path.  Just having the knowledge that a little one would be arriving in a few months gave me the desire to study those extra minutes or hours.  As my wife progressed through the pregnancy, my motivation only grew stronger. After our daughter was born, that motivation was redirected toward spending time with her.  Those extra minutes of studying quickly were spend holding and playing with this precious baby.  So, I found myself with a distraction from school and decided to take a semester off.  I needed to rethink my goals.  After much thought and discussion, I was sure that the commitment to school was the right decision for my family.

I believe that the motivation that originally moved me to enroll in college has been with me throughout this process.  Keeping this motivation balanced between work, school and home has been the truly stressful part of this journey. I suspect the same is true of younger, more traditional students as well.  This is a conversation I am having with my now 18 year old daughter.  Hopefully, my experiences will help help her prepare for her upcoming time in college.