Enlightening Conversations

samina said:

to me that sounds like the path that's calling to you, then! that's a very good sign that it makes you feel calm.

if the prospect of following a "passion" makes you feel confused, it might be more of a distant "idealization" at this point. when it becomes clearer to you *exactly* what the passion is behind it, you won't feel confused at all, but enlivened and clear.

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I'm thinking that the confusion is due to having a whole bunch of conflicting emotions... I love doing it, but my confidence comes and goes and while I do know on some level I can be good at it I also have a nagging fear of failing or finding out I've been wasting my time, not to mention money, and how disappointing that would be. And it's the same reason I haven't made any steps toward going back to school though I've wanted to since the last time I was in school. Or running a marathon, that's another thing I've wanted to do for years that I've not worked for because I'm afraid I can't.

And maybe the reason I feel "calm" after taking it off my "current priorities" list is that makes one less thing I am afraid of failing at. I am afraid I'll never be as good as I want to be.

there is no shame in failing...only in failing to try

ww, one thing that may be helpful is to reach only slightly beyond where you're at in one area, and learn how to successfully reach that new level. that gives you an experience of being *able* to succeed. and as you keep reaching not too far beyond where you are in the moment, and creating some positive experiences for yourself, you can start turning that expectation (or fear of) failure around.

but failure is an inevitable part of everyone's experience, part of the journey, so it's helpful to reframe it, otherwise it's just going to send you into shut-down mode every time you think you've failed at something. find a way to look at the journey as larger than the momentary experience of not having completed the journey yet... "failure" is just an opportunity, on so many levels. instead of being disheartened, you can choose to see it as "my success is part of my future experience" and "i've learned something new here, which will speed me onward toward my success!"

as with pretty much everything, it's all in the way you look at it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lesbian_prom_date

JACKSON, Miss. – An 18-year-old Mississippi lesbian student whose school district canceled her senior prom rather than allow her to escort her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo said she got some unfriendly looks from classmates when she reluctantly returned to campus Thursday.

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is there a reason for this link in this thread?

I guess not. Sorry.

it's fine...I am just trying to make the connection

I thought it was interesting but didn't want to make a thread for it. Nevermind though.

got it

will look at it soon

i saw that article, ww... was the lead-in on yahoo when i checked my email earlier.

what did you think of it, or did it invoke a particular personal opinion or view on the incident?

I sure wish I could come up with a tactful way of stating how I feel about that sort of bull.... Where does that kind of ignorance come from?

Is there a news headlines thread of some sort?

probably b/c a news headline thread would lead to way to many unpaid hours of frustration for our staff....there is a tendency for that stuff to get very heated which is not a goal for this site

Okay...

thx