It is a lot exciting and a little intimidating to be back in a classroom setting–as a student. I’m thrilled about my first formal training toward computer certification. And it’s intimidating, ever so slightly, to be accountable to others for learning material within a given time. It probably has to do with learning things on my own for many years now.
permission denied
It’s a pleasure to learn new things that interest me. I guess that’s why I keep picking up on new things here and there. But I have to say that I am not one to finish everything that I start. Even useful things that are fun for me must sometimes be abandoned for things that are more pressing. And getting back to abandoned projects is not the easiest thing to do. You may not know anything about this, but I can tell you it’s difficult.
Many of the things that I’m dabbling in lately are related to computers and web design. I’ve gotten pretty far with web design over the past 2 years. But there’s a lot more for me to learn, that I really want to know. The thing is, I generally opt out of studying for working on things more immediately beneficial, more practical, if you will. So I put away my toys because the return on the investment of my time is not going to be fast enough. (And that’s a guess based on how much time I’m not going to put into selling it.)
permission to step into it
Remember I stated that it’s a little intimidating to be responsible to learn? Well, that minor intimidation is also a benefit. Actually, the cause of it is a benefit. The intimation is spawned from making a commitment to others and myself to get something completely accomplished.
How is commitment a benefit? Commitment becomes an obligation, which forces me to give myself permission to focus on learning. Since I’ve signed up to participate, I’m now required to follow through on something that’s been a passion of mine for many years. I am obligated because I signed on the dotted line, several dotted lines, to study for A+ certification training.
This commitment compels me to shuffle around other obligations to make room for this to happen fully. The training is long by some standards, at 14 weeks. But the time will fly by because it’s half a day, four days a week, covering concentrated information that’s familiar and new to me. My afternoons and evenings are filled with work, study and other responsibilities.
The other reason the time is going quickly is because I really enjoy learning this stuff.
Speaking of going fast, it took me a moment on Friday, to realize that my first week was already over. Honestly, I feel like I’m getting away with something just to be studying this. And I know, when I’m working in IT, it will feel like I’m getting paid to play. It’s much the same elated feeling as being paid to write.
How do you get permission to focus on what brings you joy? What important passion deferred would you love to return to?
