desdemona
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Several recent threads in GenDis (and the bullying one in P&R) have got me thinking. What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
I know women who were told to abandon the idea of becoming a veterinarian because it was a man's field (btw, 75% of all applicants to vet school are now women). And when things started shifting, the old boy's club lamented the downfall of the profession because "women will never want to be business owners." For myself, I was told to abandon the idea of buying the practice where I had worked for 10 years because it was "logistically difficult" - and that I should look for something easier.
I stuck to my goals of going to vet school - even if it meant paying out of state tuition. Even after my parents announced they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. And my mother was diagnosed with MS. I passed my national boards, but failed the state jurisprudence exam that I failed to study for (I planned to go into the Peace Corps - the only goal I never achieved due to financial obligations).
I've been the starving college student with scary government student loans (even with full tuition for undergrad) and using credit cards to buy cans of soup and PBJ for food. I was taunted and teased in high school for any number of reasons (acne, being a brainy nerd, uncool, etc.).
The one thing that kept me going and helped me stand up to these challenges was my belief in myself. I chose not to give up. I knew I had the mental and physical capacity to accomplish my goals; it was only a matter of due diligence. So if someone keeps downing you and doubting you, walk away. If you have a supportive environment (friends, family, forum), embrace it. When things get to be dark, you have a true asset that can help you pick yourself up and try again. If not, find a way to focus your energies (yoga, meditation, spirituality) so you can devote yourself to positive thinking and tune out the negativity.
How about others? Who else has overcome life's little (and not so little) challenges?
I know women who were told to abandon the idea of becoming a veterinarian because it was a man's field (btw, 75% of all applicants to vet school are now women). And when things started shifting, the old boy's club lamented the downfall of the profession because "women will never want to be business owners." For myself, I was told to abandon the idea of buying the practice where I had worked for 10 years because it was "logistically difficult" - and that I should look for something easier.
I stuck to my goals of going to vet school - even if it meant paying out of state tuition. Even after my parents announced they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. And my mother was diagnosed with MS. I passed my national boards, but failed the state jurisprudence exam that I failed to study for (I planned to go into the Peace Corps - the only goal I never achieved due to financial obligations).
I've been the starving college student with scary government student loans (even with full tuition for undergrad) and using credit cards to buy cans of soup and PBJ for food. I was taunted and teased in high school for any number of reasons (acne, being a brainy nerd, uncool, etc.).
The one thing that kept me going and helped me stand up to these challenges was my belief in myself. I chose not to give up. I knew I had the mental and physical capacity to accomplish my goals; it was only a matter of due diligence. So if someone keeps downing you and doubting you, walk away. If you have a supportive environment (friends, family, forum), embrace it. When things get to be dark, you have a true asset that can help you pick yourself up and try again. If not, find a way to focus your energies (yoga, meditation, spirituality) so you can devote yourself to positive thinking and tune out the negativity.
How about others? Who else has overcome life's little (and not so little) challenges?
