In May, I volunteered to help present information about the after-school class I teach at a music teachers conference. I would only need to take about 10 minutes. A week before the conference, I wrote out my ideas and felt generally prepared. Still, the night before the conference I started having some anxiety about it. Suddenly I realized I was going to be talking to people who had a lot more experience as teachers and who also know more about music than I do. I felt inadequate for the task.
After spending an hour practicing, I realized that I did know what I was doing, and what I wanted to say. It was not an hour wasted, it was a necessary hour of preparation.
The reason this experience was so significant is that I signed up for it because I wanted the learning experience. I knew what kind of conference it was going to be when I signed up, I just felt the magnitude the night before.
Then I was granted the larger insight. A 10-minute speech is pretty insignificant compared to a whole week or month. Just as this life is such a small portion compared to all of eternity. I can imagine myself on the threshold before my earthly experience feeling excited and anxious and probably a little inadequate. But I volunteered, knowing the road ahead, because I wanted the learning experience.
Think about your life. What learning experience did you sign up for that is overwhelming you? Remember you knew, and you knew you could do it!
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