Hope I'm Still A Straight-A Student

“The rattler is a ventriloquist. His whirr sounds to the right, to the left, straight ahead, behind, close under foot--everywhere but where it is. Woe to him who guesses wrong unless he is prepared to hold up his end of the argument! Sometimes he strikes without rattling at all."
- Zora Neale Hurston

This quote is pretty fitting for the week I had – after thinking about some of the goals I have for myself, and thinking about how much I’ve procrastinated on taking the first steps, I finally bit the bullet and registered for a post-grad certificate in Health Promotion at George Brown College. I feel almost like that rattler Zora spoke of, b/c sometimes I choose to make moves at times when people don’t expect them, and this is one of those times!

My ultimate goal is to pursue a Masters. However, I had to set aside plans for registering for September 2011, because this year has more than enough going on, plus I still need to work full time! So I decided that in the interim, I’d go with this post-grad certificate to get my feet wet. I’m hoping that out of these courses, I can gain some new knowledge and skills, meet some new people, and have something extra to add on to my resume.

I had a serious internal debate of whether to pursue a Masters vs. a college certificate program. A Masters has always seemed more prestigious, and seemed to open more doors of opportunity. However, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the benefits of a college certificate, and find that, if utilized the right way, it can give you just as much knowledge and opportunity. Ultimately, a very smart friend of mine reminded me that networking is key. He said, “I know a lot of people who do a Masters, then they come out and know NOBODY.” So while schooling is important, it’s equally as important to remember that you have a heads up on others if you’re known in the industry and community that you want to be in. I’m hoping that with my current skill set and experience, plus this new education and improved networking skills, that I’ll be able to make some major moves in the near future…

If you’re considering going back to school, think about where you want to be, career-wise, and then figure out what you need to do to get there. At the end of the day, ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it! So get on it and start making those positive changes!

Abracadabra!



2011 has started off great thus far! Won’t get into details, but this New Year’s celebration was unlike any I’ve had before. I did one thing that I’ve never really done before, and at that moment it hit me that THAT will probably be the theme of my 2011 – doing things I’ve never done, and growing in new ways…I feel infinitely blessed and ready for what’s to come!

I was just looking in my journal, which I’ve written in sporadically since 2008. I read one entry dated May 17, 2009, where I titled it “Write it, Speak it, Believe it, Create it”, and quite simply, wrote in point-form what I wanted to accomplish. Most things popped out on the list because they actually came true the way I wanted them to, and it just shows me the power in thoughts becoming things.

I read something on Twitter about the origins of the word abracadabra, and I thought it was B.S. until I did some research. There are a few different definitions (most of them strained), but the most consistent seems to be that the word is based on the ancient Aramaic language, and translates directly from “abraq ad habra” = “I will create as I speak”.

Something interesting to come across, especially at this time of the year when everyone is wiping slates clean and starting off fresh with new resolutions and the like. For me, it’s just fortified the fact that I need to be clear about what I want in this life, speak it so that I can’t dismiss it as a random thought in my mind, and act on it. I know that what’s meant for me will be mine, but it’s a wide world out there, and there is much to conquer!

Take some time to think about what you want out of life. Write it down, visualize it, pray on it, do what you need to do – but continuously revisit your journal, Blackberry clipboard, scrap of napkin or wherever else you jot your goals down. One day you’ll revisit, and realize that you’ve accomplished one, some, or all of the things on your list. As I felt today, there ain’t no better feeling of accomplishment than that.