When you first expressed interest in going back to school… a lot of your focus was more than likely on all the steps, processes, and commitments needed to finalize your enrollment. Although all of these steps are necessary and essential phases of the enrollment process, it’s so important to remember that you must ultimately focus your energy on the outcome versus the processes …the WHY of finishing your degree. Now, as you are sitting in class as a student, your focus is likely on your individual assignments, class meetings, and tests that you must complete in order to move toward your ultimate outcome, graduation!
Think back to the time you initially expressed interest… what made you apply to school? What is your ultimate goal or confirmed need for you pursuing your degree? Consider what your future looks like- both with and without finishing your degree. Can you still achieve your ultimate goal and change your life if you do not finish your degree? Can you still see the value of your education? Continue to remember your WHY of enrolling … and focus on your end result and outcome. Staying focused on your end result…and what’s truly in this for you… is something all adult learners need to revisit when they want to quit or give up… because focusing on the end of this race, versus the tiresome miles along the way in this race… can be overwhelming… but the end is nearer than you think…and the outcome will be totally worth it… you can do this… focus on the finish line!
Discovery is a huge part of an adult learner’s ability to commit to finishing their education. You must know why you are doing this… you must know what is going to change (for the better) when you finish, you must know what the outcome of all of this will be… so that you can make a decision, move forward, commit and finish. If you haven’t thought about this in a while… or ever, I would encourage you to pause, self-reflect and soul-search to discover for yourself your WHY for all of this. Remind yourself that your current self-sacrifice will get you to your next step in your life… and ultimately…all of these processes will lead to your outcome… of completing your degree. Focusing on the outcome makes the big picture less daunting and the processes along the way, a little easier to accomplish!
Next time you start to think about the date your next class will start… change your thought process on how close you are to finishing this degree and the date for your graduation ceremony! Think long term and think about where you want to go from the finish line… after all… the end of this…is just the beginning!
