I was a very shy youth, and I felt as if I stumbled through life. Not having an education until my mid thirties only made me second guess every decission I made. My first success was came in the third thru fifth grade in grade school. I excelled in school, and was always in the top two in our mathmatics bees. This gave me the insentive to continue my education even after my father remove me from school at the end of the fifth grade. What was the first success you remember?
I passed most of my exams at high school, but not with very good results. I achieved my first big educational success in my early 50s, when I graduated as a BA. In my working life, I would say my first success was in my 30s, when I was promoted to manager. It was the first time I had ever been given responsibilities in a job where I was more than just working at the lowest level.
I have had several successes I think in my life, I was in the top of my class all thru school. I got a scholarship to college all though I did not graduate. I have worked in some of the top companies in the US in the finanacial departments of these companies, and often I have been the first woman and the first woman of color to be in management in these companies. All of the work accomplishments have been good, what really makes my heart sing is to see my girls being successful in their lives with their kids.
Ladies, our generation did not encourage us to do much outside the family home. Most of us had to change our ideas of success. We all had to fight our way through the outdated concepts of our times, and we did it while raising our families, some of us as single parents. Many men changed their ideas of success as well. I now have two grandsons that are as busy with raising their families as their wives are. One of my great grandchildren's parents swap periods of working, so that one parent is always with their child. She starts kindergarten this fall, and then both parents can start focusing on the careers they studied for.
I think the very first success in my life was living through child birth. No, I do not mean pacing back and forth in the waiting room while my first was being born. I mean, my first success in my life was when I was born! Yup, it was a doozy. I really do not remember a lot of it but I heard enough throughout my younger life to know I was a great success at this huge endeavor. Grandpa said I was 12 lbs of ugly, but that just means that the harder the work, the deeper the wrinkles. A lot can be told about wrinkles and I am sure there was a lot to be said about mine. I was told how hard my mother had it, but after a little biology in school, being born is no fun either. And if being born isn't hard enough, the doctor got to hang me upside down and take a whack at me for being such a pain! What's a kid to do? But, although I was bruised, whacked, kicking and screaming, I was indeed successful. Yes, I got through it very successfully, and it led to many more successes in life and some of them by kicking and screaming just like before. I wonder though, how my last success is going to play out? Will a doctor try to take a whack at me then too? I think I might just dot his eye first, just so I can get in my licks this time.
My first success was building a Crystal Set at age 13 that worked, pulling in KNX 1070 without an outdoor antenna! The one pictured was built about 60 years later, and is much more sophisticated, with a tapped coil and dual tuning capacitors. Hal
Oh my goodness that gave me a turn..seeing Ina's name pop up like that. God bless her soul, I miss her!!
Yes...this kinda gets to me @Holly Saunders ...there needs to be a itty bitty wreath placed next to their avtatr so people know they have passed away.