Pushing Through

Posted on September 14, 2018

Trying something new can be scary. Not knowing the outcome or dealing with unforeseen complications is a form of stress that can be hard to handle. But in life sometimes playing it safe can hinder opportunities that can improve your quality of life. This month I would like to talk about being hesitant to try something new and the results that improved my life. Hesitations can be valid, and you may have the foresight to see problems in situations before they develop but perhaps there have been situations where you thought you could push through but weren’t able to but thought you could.

I’m a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), I talked about this in depth in another blog post. It’s an accomplishment that I’m proud of, and information that I’ve obtained will be invaluable in my career field. The thing about becoming a CPS is that I didn’t always have the confidence to go through the training and earn my certification. I was afraid to try something new. One thing that I did do was talk to someone who was already in the field and went through the training. That gave me an idea of what to expect if I wanted to earn my CPS license. I took a lot of time to research and prepare. Before you even get into the class, you have to interview. That interview series occurred in a large room with 4 different tables, each with a representative asking several different questions. You had to move from table to table, and if I hadn’t prepared for weeks beforehand, I don’t know if I would have done as well, but I’m happy I found my confidence and was able to go through with everything.

Another aspect I had to deal with in life was finding housing. Apartment searching is an incredibly grueling task and finding something affordable and in an ideal location is a full-time job in itself. When I moved back into the city, I remember seeing an apartment and honestly, I didn’t like it. The area wasn’t so bad but the apartments needed a lot of work, and I wanted to leave without signing the lease, but I said to myself if I don’t take this apartment, what are the odds I’ll find something that’s both affordable and in the location that I want? Those odds weren’t high. I ended up signing that lease, and a few years later I was able to find an apartment that I liked in the same area. If I chose not to take that apartment and kept looking for a perfect one before I settled in, I might not have found any at all, or maybe an apartment was worse than ones I’ve viewed previously. Looking for another living space once you have one is so much more comfortable and less stressful.

My Mother always said to me, “If I put my mind to something, I can do it.” Growing up, I thought the phrase was vague, and I didn’t really understand what it meant. But now I do. If I research, plan and have the foresight to see future situations and opportunities I can make something of them. Life is tough, conditions are not always going to be ideal. My ASD definitely factors into my tentative nature, but with prep work, I can achieve things within my limits and circumstances. I can’t really give advice on what a person should or shouldn’t do, everyone has different life factors and experiences but if you want to do something or have a goal, believing in yourself and completing the necessary prep work can make them achievable.