Tonight, at the age of 37, after five long, sometimes blood-curlingly, agonising and gruelling years of studying a 3 year BA degree in Psychology part-time, I will graduate!
I always knew what I wanted to do from a young age, it was always just sense of knowing. I never got to study what I wanted to after school, yet that desire to follow what I knew I was passionate about never left me. If anything, the calling just grew stronger. I recall vividly the day I “woke up” and finally asked myself what on earth I was waiting for? So at the age of 31 I started looking to various university about my options to study part-time as I worked full-time and in order to support my studies I had to continue working. Unfortunately, I had just missed the closing dates and had to wait the year out before I could register to begin my studies. It was not an easy path by any means, having left school 14 years before it had been a long time since I had last opened a book to study academic material. My first year marks were all passes but my marks were just ok. After such a long time of not studying I called it getting back into the groove. But I wanted more than ok. So in the next four years that followed, with lots of hard work, lots of no’s to amazing invites out, missing many social events, friends birthdays and studying while all I wanted to do was play, I began to excel in my studies and my marks showed it. Distinction after distinction rolled in and by the time my degree came to an end I had a nice mound of distinctions under my name. I was no straight-A student at school but all my hard work had paid off and at the end of last year I completed my degree and tonight I will officially graduate.
It has always been my dream to study Clinical Psychology and my ultimate dream is to work with children. However, I am not set only on one avenue and the field I have chosen to study in will open many opportunities on the path I am on. I am now currently doing my Honours in Psych, which once completed, will allow me to complete an internship and then once I pass my board exam I can register as a counsellor while I take a few years out to do other things before taking the final step in my ultimate dream and doing my Masters in Clinical Psychology.
You are never too old to realise your dreams, no matter what they are. All it takes is hard work and a dash of dedication and a good dollop of commitment and in the end if it is something that you want, you will make it happen. You do what you have to do and in the end you overcome any obstacle that may land in your way. The pain, the tears, the frustration, the elation ~ it was all so worth it. The only thing that limits us is the mind. Believe in yourself and all things really do become possible.
Tonight, as I walk across that stage and the degree gets conferred on me, I will officially tick # 72 off my bucket list.
This is a proud moment for me. I’ve done it.
Dreams really do come true!
And as cheesy as it is, Irene Cara sang it best back in the 80’s ~ “First when there’s nothing but a slow glowing dream….. “ “Take your passion and make it happen”
First when there’s nothing
but a slow glowing dream
that your fear seems to hide
deep inside your mind.
All alone I have cried
silent tears full of pride
in a world made of steel,
made of stone.
Well, I hear the music,
close my eyes, feel the rhythm,
wrap around, take a hold
of my heart.
What a feeling.
Bein’s believin’.
I can have it all, now I’m dancing for my life.
Take your passion
and make it happen.
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life.
Now I hear the music,
close my eyes, I am rhythm.
In a flash it takes hold
of my heart.
What a feeling.
And just one more thing before I go, a huge big thank you to my latest donors ~ Justin, Kathy and Ivor Hinrichsen (aka mom and dad) and Wendy Seward. Thank you so much for helping someone with CF breathe a little easier and for helping us take another step closer to finding a cure!
My heartfelt gratitude to you all!
Walking4Air 