Driving to school, it's been on my mind. Sitting on the bus going from the BA to the Commuter lot, its been in the back of my mind. Working on laundry, the hamster wheel furiously turned as I tried to figure out the exact content and approach to this monumental work. How do i define my educational goals and who i am in just six hundred words?
It wasn't until i was taking a break from focusing on it that it finally came. In fact, I was on a treadmill in the gym when it finally hit me. I'd written a personal statement before but for clarification purposes I should explain exactly what a personal statement is.
When applying to most grad schools, most require a resume along with a personal essay. Pertaining to law school: a personal statement is an opportunity to sell yourself to the law school you're applying to. You can write about anything but in short, you want to prove that you are law school material and the type of student that law school is looking for.
I didn't realize it at the time, but my study abroad program was preparing me for the writing of this personal statement. My fellow study abroad collegues have differing views of the courses we were required to enroll and participate in as part of the program requirements. Being the supernerd that I am, i took my participation in the program a little differently.
Perhaps, it was my aptitude and predisposition towards law school to begin with but my approach took a more serious tone. I mean, we were discussing the Roman Empire and Republic along with its relevance towards the development of human freedoms coupled by the Socratic method and the role these would play in regards to the development of jurisprudence. How could anyone get excited about those kinds of discussions?
lol..oh I can name a few and yes, they're either in law school now, have been, or will be going soon!
had the most encouraging conversation with my very brilliant cousin. this would be the one at Stanford Law and yes i'm bragging. She didnt get there on good looks alone! LOL. so what I love most about her is that great education and all, she's very easy to talk to and relate to. She's worked hard for her accomplishments and has arrived at her present place in life through determination and fearlessness. Not to mention she has a great husband who's supported her in accomplishing her dream (that alone speaks volumes to me about the partnership that marriage is).
ok so our conversation...i'm going to depart a bit but its necessary to understand why the conversation is so important to me. We're all given different lots in life. With those lots, come varying assets which aide and enable us in accomplishing goals, dreams, and tasks in life. We can sometimes lose sight of those assets and get caught up on those things which we do not have. its what "we dont have" that can sometimes keep us from reaching for the starrs/goals/dreams. The fear of "what i have may not be enough" can, at times, paralyze us where we stand, unable to take progressive steps forward. this has at some point in my own life been the case.
it wasnt until a few years ago, when i returned back to school and decided 'this is what i want, this is supposed to be my path in life' that i started down the long road that would eventually lead to becoming a Red Raider. there was a time when i thought it not quite possible to become an alum of the school my family is so endeared to (well most of us!). i saw following in my dad's and bro's footsteps something of an enigma. But i remember my dad saying, "if i can do it, so can you and nothing is impossible with God."
it was a blue Tiffany's box, holding a key ring with a heart charm attached, and the words of someone i love and hold very dear, "Remember that God holds the keys to your dreams and with Him nothing is impossible" that started me on my way to reaching for my dreams.
How could i negate those words in action? I knew from the course of the two years prior that those words are and were COMPLETELY true. I've witnessed God do some amazing things, bring me through some incredible moments, and deep, deep, deep down I knew that if this was really His plan for me...nothing could deter it.
So three years later, here I am. A Texas Tech student on the road to accomplishing an MBA with a BBA and a trip to my "dream" destination (Italy and Greece) under my belt. Everytime I look at those pictures, I remember that "dreams do come true" and its that blue Tiffany's box that holds a key chain with a very, very old and rustic key attached to it that reminds me that nothing is unattainable when God is involved. That box isn't about a gift from Tiffany's, though it was VERY NICE! No, its REALLY about God giving the very, very best to His people. I have another accessory that reminds me of that lesson as well...that when you have nothing: God can give you beyond measure.
in the last few weeks, i'd been struggling with certain "dreams" and questioning, eveb second guessing where I'm at. Its been conversations with a variety of people that have brought and carried me to a new place. When i started on this path, i knew that it would not be easy and i would face moments when i would be truly tested in endurance and perseverance. i've now arrived to that testing.
i can only compare it to the training i've just begun in preparation for the 5K. i've spent alot of time thinking about the varying points that an athlete faces. the start of the journey, where an athlete learns the fundamentals of their respective sport, then moving past the fundamentals to learning the art of the sport along with developing discipline, endurance, and perseverance. Sometimes atheletes face points of injury or even points where their bodies need something more than what they are giving such as hydration when cramping or being stretched a bit to be prepared to re-enter the game. There's hard work and being challenged to the point of breaking but before that can occur, when an athlete is successful, they will arrive at the goal. The end of the game or the end of the race....its that last stretch that sometimes most painful and the hardest to endure. But, its reaching the goal that all competitive athletes are striving for.
you have to know your strengths and weaknesses...need to know what assets you have that will enable you to reach the goal. that's what my conversation with my cousin was really about. sure there are physical elements that say, there's no way you're going to accomplish that...but as i've said before: i've seen crazier things happen. like a non-traditional student spending an entire month in Italy/Greece - expenses paid and that's just a minor/recent example...
i dont know where this dream will lead me...just know that there's a goal in site and that's what i'm aiming for.
there's a song that's really spoken to me so i thought i'd share it.
what i've come to realize is that this isnt about my dreams or my plans...but about a path i've been placed upon. i've had to come to a point of surrender to say: what is it that you want of me...where do you want me to go...what do you want me to do?
no matter how many times i ask or which way i turn...its always the same response. with confidence and assurance of heart, i know that this is the plan that He has for me.
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)i think i've run from it long enough and now its time to embrace it and walk in it. no matter how far i may go or how hard i may try to run, it is woven into the very fabric of my being: with complete certainty i see this now. the pursuit of this dream will be seen to completion and the hand that led me to embark on this journey will be faithful to see this work completed.
no longer holding anything back but going hard for that which I have yet to attain: reaching for the prize.
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Phil 3:12-14 (The Message)i encourage you not to hold anything back. this life is a vapor and all to quickly it will be over. instead, live each day in a way that will leave you with no regrets, embracing every moment, and loving deeper than you've ever loved before.
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