My Grandmother Never Had a Degree

There were four generations sitting at the kitchen table, smacking on Mommy's delicious meal-somehow we never made it to the dining room. I smiled to myself when I thought of how fabulous this truly was--sitting here, next to my grandmother, my mother, my father, my sister, my children and my niece-celebrating Mother's Day.

I love it when my family gets together because we always end up having deep conversations about life and about the Bible. We also spend hours telling stories about our past. Of course, some of the stories I've already heard, others are new to me.

My grandmother told several stories that I hadn't heard before. Recently, she went to my cousin's (her grandson's) school (he's in the 6th grade) for Grandparent's day. During Grandparent's day, the grandparent has to tell stories about how life was when they were growing up.

My grandmother told a story about how she was born and raised in Oxford, North Carolina on a farm and didn't get a chance to finish "much schooling." After she was married for three years and had her first son (my father) they moved "up north" for a better way of life. She got her first job making .75 cents per week. The children fell out laughing when they heard this. They thought it was the funniest thing they ever heard.

She told several stories that day, but one of the stories she told-disturbed me something decent. She said that her church wanted to honor her but she refused the honor. I asked her why she refused the recognition. I thought it was for noble reasons or something like that-but the reason was because she was ashamed of her background.

My grandmother said that she has attended numerous honorary dinners at her church and the people they honored all seems to have all types of degrees and honors, but she didn't finish grade school and would be embarrassed to have her "story" told.

See, my grandmother never finished school. She had to work to bring in an income to help feed her family. As the oldest of six children, a lot of responsibility fell on her shoulders.

When she married and had children of her own, she still had to work to make ends meet and the only work she could get back in the day, was scrubbing floors for Ms. Baine (a doctor's wife and family that she worked for as a maid for many years.)

This embarrassed my grandmother and made her feel "less than" because she didn't have the educational background and fantastic career as so many other members of her church presently have.

My grandmother is 85 years old. She wakes up each morning at 3 a.m. and exercises for 30 minutes by riding her stationary bicycle. She then reads her Daily Bread for an hour before she gets dressed and ready to go to work. She works as an aide on a school bus for special education children. She doesn't work because she has to work; she works because she wants to work. My grandmother has never been in the hospital or even sick, for that matter, in her entire life. She has lived to see her grandchildren grow up and get married and to have children of their own. She is the best-dressed woman wherever we go (she love her hats, big and tilted to the side). She owns a nice house and drives a new car every two years (she only drives to church and the supermarket so her cars always keep their value very well). She is always there when you need her and goes out of her way to help strangers in any way that she can.

My grandmother lived and continues to live a wonderful life. But as long as I've known her, she always had a problem with the fact that she isn't well "educated"-meaning that she never had any "formal" schooling past the sixth grade.

So many people are like that. They let the fact that they do not have a college degree stop them from being who they can and should be in life. They never let go of the thought that having a college degree somehow makes you a better person than if you don't have one.

I know where this thought originated-it originated with our parents and with society. Our parents want us to do well in school so they tell us that if we don't do well in school, we will never be able to make it in college, and if we don't go to college, then we will never make it in "today's world."

We have been brainwashed so much that we simply accept this as a truth-as if it is a fact. But it's not.

A college degree doesn't make a person successful.

Having a few letters behind one's name does not make you any "greater" than a person without letters.

It only appears this way because so many without a college education BELIEVE this to be so and therefore never live up to their fullest potential. They, like my grandmother, allow the BELIEF that a college education determines their lot in life.

The truth of the matter is YOU determine your lot in life.

There are so many successful people who never had a college degree that I can't even begin to name them all.

What determines your success in life is YOU and what you choose to make of your life.

Don't let something as silly as not having a college degree or even a high school diploma-stop you from living to your fullest potential.

Just accept God into your life and lean on Him for your understanding and everything that you need to know to be the person you were meant to be, will be revealed to you-if only you first BELIEVE.

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, life coach and author. She teaches how to discover your life's purpose and incorporate it into a career, in a really, down-to-earth, no nonsense sort of approach. Visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and sign up for Your Life's Purpose newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:dawn@dawnfields.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Tune in each and every Thursday to Your Life's Purpose Interactive Internet Radio with at 9 p.m. EST by going to http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm

---

Read All the Books

All of the books that we will ever need to... Read More

If Theres Money in a Dead Mouse...

My 4 year old son was very excited. I had... Read More

The Untold Truth About Mentors, and Why You DONT Need One

I think there is a misconception about what a mentor... Read More

When the Door of Opportunity Opens

Anybody can achieve anything ? do you believe that? I... Read More

Develop Guts to Achieve Glory

It is just amazing the amount of people who don't... Read More

Motivation, Your Core Resource

Your motivation is one of the core resources you have... Read More

Cure Your Burnout!

Do you ever get those Sunday night blues? Dreading the... Read More

Motivation By A Challenge

Many humans are motivated by the thought of doing something... Read More

Living Outside the Lines of Normal and Reasonable

Elizabeth Tull is a Professional Excellence Coach who lives with... Read More

Finding the Easy Way

For the last hour I have been sweating over what... Read More

How to Make Bite Size Resolutions for 2005

It never fails. Another new year approaches. You watch that... Read More

Ever Feel Like Your Elevator Is Stuck Between Floors?

What do you do when you make a big mistake?... Read More

Hey Me, Get Out Of My Way

Hey Me! Get Out... Read More

Motivation By Comparison

Motivation by comparison is a dynamic form of motivation which... Read More

ADHD - Its a Wonderful Life

As I usually do over the Holidays, I watched one... Read More

To Boldly Go

For the first time in many years, Star Trek Fans... Read More

Take a Turn at Tenacious!

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.... Read More

Casting Vision

One of my greatest loves as a kid was fishing.... Read More

Believe

It's like that old joke about how long did it... Read More

Under The Guise of Care and Concern

These words came up powerfully for me these past few... Read More

How To Deal With Denial

Denial is a coping mechanism commonly used when something happens... Read More

Do We Have Free Will?

It is being suggested here that we have only one... Read More

Motivation: How to Get Unstuck

Have you ever felt stuck?You know the feeling - you're... Read More

Motivation: Small Changes, Big Results

When I was 8 years old, my parents let me... Read More

Realistic Dreams

The wish to have or be something, especially one that... Read More

Are You A Visionary

Dreams may seem unimportant in your quest for success. And... Read More

3 Clever Ways To Stop Procrastinating

Stopping procrastination can be challenging, especially since you can't put... Read More

Fear Emotions - Positive or Negative?

What is fear's purpose? How do you handle it? While... Read More

7 Tips For Lasting Motivation And Greater Success

Lasting motivation is possible once you adopt an outlook that... Read More

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone - Before Its Too Late

Think about what you're doing each day and ask yourself... Read More

Its Not Your Fault

Have you ever wondered what's really holding you back from... Read More

All Talk And No Action; So Let It Be Written; So Let It Be Done!

It is so important to know how to motivate ourselves... Read More

How to Use Discouragement to Motivate Yourself

Ever feel like giving up? Do you ever feel so... Read More