Saturday, March 29, 2008

My first Scientiae!

The theme for the April edition of Scientiae is fools and foolishness in honor of April Fool's Day.

I’ve been contemplating this post where I talk about a couple of questions that keep plaguing me and causing me to doubt myself:

If there are this few women that are successful academic scientists and mothers, why should I think that I can do this?

What makes me different than all the other women that have tried and failed before me?

Over the last week, I’ve decided that it’s complete and utter foolishness to compare myself to other people this way.  I can learn from those who have failed just as much as I can learn from those who have succeeded.  And just because I don’t know anyone who has exactly embodied the future I imagine for myself, doesn’t mean that I can’t succeed in just the way I want (or some other equally satisfying, as yet unimagined way). 

I would be a fool to pigeonhole myself into other people’s successes (or failures).

My life is mine to do with as I wish.  I’d be foolish not to be alllll over that!


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