School of Awesome

 Well, summer holidays are officially over and everyone in my town has gone back to school. This year I have decided to take some time to do a bit of "schooling" myself. I am using quotations because I'm not actually going to an educational institution. While I did go to college for one semester a couple of years after I graduated high school, it honestly wasn't for me. The thing is, I love to learn but I despise school. I always have. It's not that I'm not good at it, it's that I feel very boxed in and suffocated, maybe even a bit like a part of a herd of cattle. Everyone pays thousands and thousands of dollars to be force-fed the same information by the same person in a giant class where the teachers and professors don't even know your name and nothing is tailored to how you learn. Absolutely none of that sounds appealing to me in any way, shape, or form.

I know far too many people who owe ridiculous amounts of money for post-secondary education and yet very few of them are putting that education to good use. For many, there just aren't any jobs in their field of choice while many others realized that what they once thought they wanted, is no longer the case. This is not the path that I wish to take, so I am making my own. I am debt free, I still have more than half of the money in the bank that I started my summer with, and my credit cards still have a $0 balance so I am now going to spend a bit of money on customizing my own form of education.

I have a few things that I'll definitely be learning and working on and a few more things that I'm seriously considering, but I'm not going to share all of my ideas just yet. For the next 4 or so months, I will be using my weekdays to work on some serious personal development. I will be breaking my day into 6-8 one-hour-long segments in an attempt to focus myself and be more productive. During each of those segments, I will choose one topic to really focus in on and do as much as I can during that hour. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can do something incredibly awesome, I just need to focus myself. Really, really focus myself. 

I've had the whole summer to reflect on my life and this is honestly my best move. If I put myself a few thousand dollars in debt for this, I really don't see how that's any different than all of my friends who owe tens of thousands of dollars for diplomas and degrees that most of them don't even use. In fact, I think it's much better. I'll be able to learn what I want, when I want and I won't be spending anywhere near the amount of money that they have and will. The real challenge here is to stay focused on my goals, as I am very easily distracted and lose confidence in my ability to do great things. I think a lot of that is due to who I choose to surround myself with. Don't get me wrong - I love my friends and family, but unless they are truly supportive of what I am doing and are going to be encouraging, not skeptical, then I honestly need to not worry about them so much. Life is far too precious to listen to doubters and nay-sayers. 

"Remember: Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway."  - Eleanor Roosevelt

I will be updating this space at least 5 days a week, so if you'd like to follow my journey and maybe learn some new things or share your knowledge and experience with me, I welcome you with open arms. Perhaps you will even be inspired to do something similar! To anyone who wants to keep asking when I'm going back to work and rolling your eyes when I tell you my hopes and dreams: piss off.