life experiences - my authentic self - chatter from my head
I constantly worry about the lack of study I have done - I have no certificates on my wall - oh, sorry, I have one that I received a few weeks ago - reiki 1. And sometimes because of this lack of certificates hanging on my wall, I feel somewhat umm - not good enough or not experienced enough.
But yesterday - I was at a meditation class and started to chat with a girl- just everyday stuff and I asked her what she did. She said she was a counsellor - being very interested I innocently asked what kind of counsellor and she replied quite abruptly - 'one with alot of experience.' This girl was maybe 15 years younger than me and out of the blue I realized I am very experienced in life. very, very experienced. I have life training.
I could say I have degree in collecting vintage as I have been collecting since I was about 10, maybe younger. This could be about being experienced in vintage housekeeping ways as I have been doing that for 31 years! - but this is not what this post is about.
I have a 'degree' in life experiences and learning from very knowledgeable people - namely my paternal grandpa who taught me alot about organic gardening. I like to help people with what I know or have experienced. I can't prescribe herbal medicine but I can help them with what herbs do what - all from life experience and my grandpa's knowledge. I can't counsell anyone professionally about anything but I can be compassionate and supportive whenever they go through the death of a spouse, a divorce, losing a baby mid term, cancer and many others that I won't even go into here. I can't do it professionally because I don't have a piece of paper in a frame hanging on my wall.
My spiritual journey has been quite a journey too - being born into a Church of England family - doing a full year course of seventh day adventist when I was 13 (another story) and searching til I converted to Catholicism 15 years ago and still searching right now - finding out lots and lots. Being very interested in the 'olde religion' as some call it.
So today, I am going to design myself two certificates. one from the Cecil Strummey Noble school of organic and herbal gardening and the second from the school of life experiences. I am going to hang them on my wall to remind myself that I don't have to study to be able to be 'good enough'
posted by Miss Robyn | 8:34 am
10 Comments:
Way to go Robyn - I think that is a wonderful idea!
Like you, I have no certificates, and sometimes feel inadequate, but life experience counts for a lot - more than most people give credit for.
I have found you to be a caring, compassionate and loving person, and in my book, that's more important than a certificate from a school any day! And those qualities are something that can't be learned from an institution...
Big hugs to you for caring about yourself :)
xxooxx
I agree with Dolly. A simple course would give you the guidelines to make you more confident in communicating with people.
However, I think you already have the equipment that seems to be so lacking in today's society - two ears to listen with.
So many people, from children to the elderly, are desperate for people to talk to, people who will actually listen to them. Not necessarily to advise or counsel them, but to hear them, to listen to their worries, their problems, their experiences and their joys. If you can get an older, perhaps lonely, person talking about their past, you will make their day.
No one seems to have time to listen any more.
You certainly shouldn't feel inadequate, Robyn. You've dealt with more in your life than most people, certainly of your age. You are interested in people, and that is a top qualification in itself.
I have certificates - nothing major, but I did earn them. They are not something I am proud of - they were just a means to an end - a job. That's it! Don't stress over not having that peice of paper. I would much rather know the woman you are, than a woman with the certificate. Like you I'm proudest of my life experiences, my children and my husband. That is something to really stand up and shout about - not a peice of paper.
Hugs to you my dear.
I hear you girl ~ and can relate to your feelings. But I will shout it from the roof tops, You should stand tall and proud amongst anyone Robyn!!!
Thank you for a brilliant post.
Oh boy! I have a few certificates and am on my way to get more, but I tell you what, I still get that feeling of inadequacy all the freaking time! It doesn't matter how many pieces of paper you have - besides I think people should study because they love learning whatever area they are into, not because they want to get a job or be seen as an expert. Universities used to be about research and broadening the mind, expanding the consciousness and all that jazz, now they are just sausage factories pumping out 'employable' people (I rant about this a lot!). Hell, my pieces of paper are worth nothing to any potential employer anyway - two arts degrees, one with honours - who the hell wants to employ somebody who's done that?!? LOL - arts degrees don't seem to be worth much anymore, which just proves my prior point.
Besides, you are interested in things that you can't get paper for - like spirituality, finding beauty in life, the joys of vintage life and living - your passion for these things is insatiable and you know HEAPS!!! I think of you as a mentor in all things vintage and pretty. =)
And yeah, all that life knowledge you have exceeds any legitimacy that a piece of paper gives a person.
I agree with what everyone has said Robyn. There used to be an old saying about being educated in "The School of Hard Knocks" ! I think most of us have experienced a hard knock or two in our lives and Boy! didnt we learn from it. You could have a whole wall of certificates but if you havent experienced love, death, financial hardship, emotional insecurity, divorce, miscarriage etc. etc. then you havent "learned" a damn thing about life. Hugsss to you girlfriend !!
wonderfully put! Brava!
Counsellors....ha. Puffed up little tarts straight out of uni. or TAFE, think they know it all because they have a piece of paper that says so! Like so-called 'consultants'. My brother calls them 'insultants'.
I have a drawer full of certificates that say I have achieved this award in Toastmasters or that award in Neighbourhood Watch, and Ken asks why I don't frame them and put them up? Well, really, who cares? I would much rather see my embroidered pictures or other nice paintings or photos on our walls that visitors can admire because they are nice to look at, not because they say what a good person I am!!
Alice is right about talking to lonely people. I haven't got any certificates to say that I do my job well, but I don't need them - I know from my clients' faces when I'm doing a good job.
You seem like an amazing person and I haven't even seen your Reiki 1 certificate. Just keep being you because that is all you need to be. No certificate can make you special - you just are that way.
some of us do have a plethora of certificates, and when we are not feeling good about ourselves those certificates mean zippo..nothing...nil....so not having any means nothing either...means you have been busy with other stuff in your life or just living it and getting life expereinces. sometimes those certificates are a heavy burden as they serve as guilt traps too...why arent I out there achiveing more and more and sacrificing other stuff at that expense....so dont think about it and just enjoy the journey you have taken!
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