| When I was twelve years old, I decided to start | | | | know you were meant to take. Sometimes you |
| thinking about my future profession. In my young | | | | may have to change direction but always |
| mind, that meant deciding between being a doctor | | | | remember your final destination. I stayed in |
| and being a lawyer. Since I hated most things | | | | school, dropped one of my classes and got a |
| having to do with science and math, the choice | | | | tutor. When finals came around, I passed them all |
| became clear to me ? I would become the first | | | | and I never saw another ?F.? |
| lawyer in my family. I loved reading and there | | | | ? Believe that you can fulfill your purpose. You |
| was nothing better than standing in front of an | | | | were created to fulfill a special purpose. Discover |
| audience and putting on a show. I could almost | | | | what your purpose is and fight to make sure that |
| see myself making a closing argument to a jury. | | | | you are living it, walking it and speaking it every |
| From that point on, everything I did had to help | | | | day. Don't allow temporary circumstances to keep |
| propel me towards achieving my big dream of | | | | you from fulfilling your purpose. I knew that I was |
| becoming an attorney. I was rewarded for my | | | | destined to be a lawyer and even in the face of |
| hard work by being accepted at the college and | | | | failure, there had to be a way for me to realize |
| law school of my choice. | | | | my dream. I just had to find it. |
| The first year of law school was a lot of hard | | | | ? Speak positively about your dreams. You have |
| work but I believed I was handling it well. | | | | to believe that your dream can come true. That |
| Midterms were around the corner. I studied | | | | includes not speaking negatively about your |
| harder than I've ever studied before or since and | | | | chances of being successful. Even if you're thinking |
| I knew I was ready. The exams came and I felt | | | | negative, doubtful or fearful thoughts, don't speak |
| pretty good when they were over. Then I | | | | them. When I told my mom that I needed to |
| received my grades. I got an ?F? on all of my | | | | drop out of law school because I had flunked my |
| tests. I had never received an ?F? on anything in | | | | mid term exams and I was never going to |
| sixteen years of school; how could I have | | | | become a lawyer, she reminded me that what |
| flunked? | | | | we speak becomes our reality. I needed to speak |
| I found myself fighting fear, doubts and questions. | | | | positively and eventually my thoughts would |
| Did I choose the wrong profession? Maybe I was | | | | become positive and my beliefs would too. |
| not cut out to be a lawyer. Did I set my aim too | | | | In the more than twenty years since I graduated |
| high? Should I drop out? Perhaps this was the | | | | from law school, the lessons I learned that first |
| wrong dream for me. But it was my dream and it | | | | year have benefited me more than any lessons |
| had been my dream for many years. I was not | | | | learned about legal cases. Because of that |
| ready to give it up. Instead, I was ready to learn | | | | experience, I know how to fight for and achieve |
| some lessons that I've remembered every time | | | | my goals and dreams. As you set out to make |
| I've found myself faced with fear, doubt and | | | | your dreams come true, remember to never give |
| questions when pursuing a goal or dream. | | | | up and believe that failure is not an option. Yes, |
| ? Be tenacious in pursuing your dream. There | | | | your dream can come true! |
| may be times of uncertainty and doubt but don't | | | | ? 2006 Joyce M. Averils, JD. All rights reserved. |
| let those times deter you from the path you | | | | |