Finding motivation

Often a person comes to a point where they just have to wonder, do I really need this much stress in my life. Which is normally accompanied with the feeling that a lot is getting done but none of the tasks are being done very well.

Life for me lately has included managing a new home, helping our children and grandchild, making sure that my mother has what she needs, starting my own company and going to college fulltime. Alone each one of these tasks have the possibility of making a perfectly sane woman loose her mind but when combined can overly challenge even the most organized female.

I must admit I am one of those women who began to question what the heck I was doing and how I could possible get all of this work completed. The sheer magnitude of what I needed to do was becoming overwhelming and I wondered if I shouldn’t just turn on the TV and watch the HGTV channel all day, it would be a make for a much simpler and uncomplicated life.

Unfortunately this new mental state began to reveal a chink in my otherwise solid armor of perseverance and persistence.

The breech showed in my lapse in accomplishing tasks focused around my college coursework. I received a paper back from a very professional and caring professor that noted my uncharacteristically lack of writing talent all the while I was struggling with completing other assignments for several other courses.

What would it take to snap my out of my doldrums and bring back the spark of initiative that propelled me to be the best?

The United States Postal Service to the rescue…

Today I received a priority mail box, thinking the package was for my husband I began to sit it on the table for him to open later when I noticed that it had my name penned in the address label. The slightly battered box was from VCSU bookstore.

Slicing open the box I thought what could this be? Then I noticed the neatly wrapped package and saw a graduation ensemble that consisted of an ebony cap, gown and tassel with the number “10” in gold.

Tearing open the plastic packaging I grasped the silken gown and held it up at arms length; it looked to be a perfect size. Next out of the box was the black cap, pretty generic as far as graduation caps go but inside you could see the word “congratulations”. Finally I took out the tassel. It was a jumbled mess of black strings that needed to be straighten out, but when hand combed with the fingers turned into a talisman which now hangs on my computer to protect me with against the lack of motivation demon that recently plagued my home. Finally I found my inspiration to help me back on the road of initiative and success.

My newfound inspiration brought forth from my memory the saying “you have to think outside of the box.” I reflected for some time on the old adage and found that there is something missing from this guiding verse. So I offer the following revision

“You need to look inside the box in order to think outside of it”

My Cap and Gown

I have just purchased my cap and gown for my graduation from VCSU and can hardly believe that I will soon be traveling to North Dakota to walk across the stage to receive my diploma / bachelor’s degree.

This simple act of contacting a very pleasant person at the VCSU bookstore that helped me select the proper size graduation attire and didn’t even wince when I asked for it to be shipped to Maryland has me reflecting on all the positive people, staff and professors, I have encountered at this university during my tenure.

Who would have thought that when I first found the online professional degree program at VCSU that I would have also found an institution with a soul and whose commitment to students and their learning experience was so profound.
I should recognize my friend Colleen from Florida for her glowing referral of the university. Her husband was a former professor at VCSU and she couldn’t say enough nice things about the people who work at the university. As we all know, it is the people and their commitment to learning / teaching / customer service that makes a student’s higher education experience worth while and memorable.

What I should mention is that I am a non-traditional student. I register, receive counseling and attend class virtually. Yet from the moment I began the process to attend this university I was never treated as a second class citizen, it was clear that I mattered. When I was in the application stage at VCSU I received constant updates and phone calls to let me know where I was in the process and what steps I needed to take next. This initial contact reaffirmed my decision to attend this university. What can I say, I believe in communication and excellent customer service of which both were in abundance during this phase.
Did I mention that I have a type A+ personality? That’s right, I’m “perky” with an “I don’t like to lose attitude.” Say it with me…”show me the A.”

Over the course of years that I have been attending this university I have found that the communication got even better. The professors, although firm, also understood and helped guide me through the learning process. The organization of the coursework, clearly stated requirements and objectives along with project deadlines kept my education on track.
Initially I thought that the communication via the internet would be impersonal, I was mistaken. Through my virtual communication with the professional staff and professors at VCSU I feel as though I have come to know each one of them and consider them among my close associates and friends.
As no man is an island, I must add that I could not have traveled my education path alone. I have an advisor who would make many students out there green with envy. She listen’s, follows’ up on her promises, finds me answers to my endless questions and makes sure that I have what I need to succeed at VCSU. She is not the traditional professor / advisor in the fact that she only has office hours and that’s all, she goes above and beyond her role and for that I say thank you.

For those out there that may be considering non-traditional learning to achieve their educational goals or attending a university in the mid-west I would offer that VCSU should be on your list of universities to check out. I have listed a few I can’s below that reiterate my stance on the excellence of receiving my education from VCSU and why I consider, and use, their staff and professors as examples of what is right with a university.



How many people out there can say?

• That they have contacted the registrar’s office and a real person answered the phone and you were able to speak with the registrar who helped you solve your problem? I can…
• That they have sent an e-mail to the registrar’s office and heard back within an hour with a response and resolution to an issue? I can….
• That they can call the bookstore and speak with any of the staff to get the books needed and shipped the same day? I can…
• That they can send off a message to a professor and hear back immediately with a response / answer? I can…
• That they can converse with the Financial Aid Office to find out what they need to do to obtain financial aid and then the office follows up with e-mails and calls to ensure that you understand and are comfortable with the process? I can…
• That they can call or e-mail the business office and talk to a real person, find out tuition payment options and have the person be friendly? I can…
• That they can e-mail an advisor an educational track question at midnight and get a response? I can…
• That they can learn about the other students in their class. That they will know fellow students likes, dislikes, favorite color, pets and much more? I can…
• That they have had a univeristy director offer to take time out of their vacation to visit you and make sure you have the career tools you need to be successful? I can...
• That they can participate in group projects from thousands of miles away? I can…
• That they receive daily updates on activities, university newsletters, invitations to events and much more? I can…
• That the university finds them whether via e-mail, text or phone to let them know about emergency campus updates? I can…
• That the university provides help to the community around them during a disaster; such as the mass flooding that Valley City recently endured? I can

There is so much more I could say about the positives of VCSU but then that would make this a book and not a blog.
Suffice to say that I am thankful that I found a university that has provided me with not only the education I needed but the academic and social networks that rounded out my collegiate experience. Just think, one side step and I may have ended up at another institution where I would have been a number and not a name and my higher educational experience would not have been so rewarding.

Perish the thought!