Busy!!!!!!!

[burbuja0512]

Hey everyone... sorry just needed to complain. I've had a little extra travel the past couple weeks and it's really got me off track.

To make it worse, when I get back from traveling, my kids really need me, and of course I LOVE to spend time with them, but play time means less study time.

This coming week, Monday and Tuesday are the only days I'm in town and then it's off to the airport again. I don't want to fall behind!!!!!

I think I'm starting to panic - holiday season is fast approaching and for me that means increased personal obligations. From a business perspective, fourth quarter is INCREDIBLY busy - got to rush to get as many sales in as possible.

I know everyone else here has these moments so maybe we can help motivate each other. I could use it right now!!!

[P00057870]

First and foremost.... B R E A T H E !!!

Yes, we have all been there. Not sure if you are taking face-to-face classes, online, or testing out. One of the beautiful things about testing out is sometimes you can just sit down and take a short break - but plan for it and make a deadline when you must get back to work. The easiest way is to set the date for the test and just do it.

If in F2F or online class, you will just have to sit down and calendar EVERYTHING, including time to play with kids. If they are older, make study time a joint activity. It never hurts for them to see you working at school work, too.

Now for busy people with jobs and kids, or a few kids and a very busy life, justs look to Marianne202 and LindaGerr for examples of people who are living through this and have accomplished so very much! They both are doing amazing things with the little time they have.

One of the best stories I can share is when I was in a room at work with a younger lady, in her 30s, complaining about how she never could do anything -- too little time, had a daughter, no money, woe is me attitude. An older lady, in her 60s, told her a story about a young lady very much like herself. She was raising a child alone and in the 1960s was having to support them both by working in a dance hall (yes, they still were around then - she would get up every day and go to a bar where men would pay to dance with her and she had to encourage them to spend money on booze - for a lilving). She too was frustrated by her situation but felt she just did not have the time to do anything else. Another lady who knew her shared this wisdom: You can go back to school, even if it is one class at a time or not. You have a choice: One day you can look back at what you have done. You can be 50 with a degree or 50 without a degree.

This same lady, the one in her 60s, brought in a photo album the next day at work and shared pictures of her in the night club she worked in, dancing for her supper, and at the end of the album were photos of her graduating from college. She got a job teaching physical education in Chicago and went on to get her Masters Degree, worked as a swimming coach, and a counselor.

How you complete your journey is up to you. You can do this!

[marianne202]

Hey, I have been there and I totally understand your situation. How about recording or getting your study materials on CD or MP3 and listening while you drive or sit on the plane or at the airport. This can kill two birds with one stone. Can you study at night while you are away so when you come home you can devote time to your kids without feeling guilty? I like to try to study when I'm away from home, so I can protect my family time. What about even testing while out of town? You could find a test center nearby and test while gone, again freeing up your family time. It may also be easier to study and test out of town with less distractions.

This is possible, just get creative when you have less time at home. It is a pain to get out of our routine, but sometimes that little shake up can be very beneficial. Keep plugging away and don't get discouraged. You can figure out this obstacle.

Good luck!

[burbuja0512]

THANK YOU for the encouragement and ideas. I usually keep everything together and manage to carefully balance, but for some reason the past couple weeks have just been REALLY tough.

I'm testing only right now, but am shooting to be ready for my capstone by Feb or March, so I don't have a ton of time.