Why do I doubt and fear when God is in control? In today's mail, Dr. Hake's recommendation letters arrived - just in time to pop one into my UVA grad school application. I called up Mizzou, and they said I could hand-deliver my application tomorrow morning. Isn't that just how God gives me things - right when I need them, and not before?

This afternoon I was reviewing a book called Top 20 Teens. It is truly an excellent book, intended to help teens with their thinking, learning, and communicating skills. Their EQ, if you will, rather than the sheer, crunching IQ on which most high-school material focuses. The basic premise is that 20% of the people in the world make 80% of the change. Naturally, we all want to live our lives to the fullest and be one of the 20%. But how? I found much of the material relevant to my own needs.

- Procrastination. I say I am lazy, and people laugh at me. But it's true; I know inside myself that I can do more with my time. When I don't want to do things, I am fully capable of putting them off. I daydream and waste a lot of time by staring into space and reliving memories. Then it comes down to a deadline, and I am besieged by unnecessary stress.

- Self-doubt and fear of failure. I don't even need to explain this. The last few weeks of posts make this evident. In truth, failure is the best learning experience. I have learned the most from things that were at first impossible.

So this year I need to push myself and accept challenges with a healthy attitude. As I look ahead and find life scary, I can respond in two ways. I can say, "Oh, I'm scared!" or I can say, "Bring it on!" I say, bring it on! :D :D  ¶ 12:55 PM