What is bigger than yourself?

When I went to teacher's college, a hundred years ago, I was recommended to read a book authored by Norman Vincent Peale.  He was a positive thinker and passed his knowledge on to those who had little confidence in themselves. He really was one of the older generation's first motivational speakers. ( Can you imagine that I just wrote that?  One of the older generation?  Why that is me!)

 I was being trained for elementary school teaching and I had requested that I did not want to go out to practice teach in any classes beyond the third grade level.  I had had a terrible experience with math in high school and had lacked all confidence in my math abilities so thought if I chose to teach grade three and under my math skills should be fine for that age group.  I got a placement for a grade eight....and you guessed it I had to teach English and Math.  I was stunned and scared to death.  I made an appointment with the head master (yes that is what he his title was, long before Harry Potter came on the scene) and told him of my plight.  I cried and said I wanted to switch out of those two assigned weeks and replace them with the age group that I had originally requested.  He looked me straight in the eye and said, "No!"  He then recommended the book,  "The Power of Positive Thinking," by the above author.  I slinked out of his office totally devastated and ready to jump out of a window.

Grade eights?  Attitudes?  Know-it-alls?  Mockers?  Well they would see through my math skills in the first minute and know that I didn't know it all, at all!  I bought a copy of the book and plunged in.  I then held my head up high and went to the school to face my fears.

 I was partnered with a girl who was terrific to work with and together we planned, executed and won over the hearts of those hard-hearted grade eighters!  Our host teacher loved both of us and left it up to us how to teach the topics we were assigned.  We both were very creative so we came up with some pretty crazy ways to teach those dull math concepts.  I am so happy to report that I got A+'s on those weeks out, the highest I had gotten all year.  It was a victory to celebrate.  I look back on that experience now and was thankful for not giving up, for having more faith in myself and pressing on through even though I did not know what the outcome would be.

What if I had backed down and not even tried?  What if I had just given up and packed it in?  I never would have found out that I could do it,  that I was not alone  and that lots of people were there to encourage and help me through.  Never, ever give up.  Never, ever say you can't until you've tried at least a hundred times.  Remember what we talked about lately? Here it is again to refresh your memory.

Enjoy your day!  Conquer those challenges set before you.  Be positive, you can do it!  I am rooting for you to succeed!

Blessings.