catch the bus: the art of pushing through

A wise friend once pointed me in the direction of a saying by Kerry Washington.

"You pray to catch the bus and then you run as fast as you can. If you miss it, then it wasn't your bus. But if you don't run, that could've been your bus"

The act of running is the art of pushing through.

I am great at the praying part - it's the easiest piece to the puzzle.

I want to get in to law school, I want that job, I want to be healthy, I want to get an A in this class, I want to be more confident ...

The intent of a goal is just that - a prayer and a hope. But, when you break it down, there is no success without running to catch the bus. A prayer that the bus exists is just not enough.

To get into law school everyone took the LSAT and did well - and if not - had great grades in undergrad, jobs that set forth a good resume, and an astonishing personal statement.

That is running.

To get the job you desire, you apply, research, nail interviews, and have skills that strengthened your resume.

That is running.

I don't like the saying "lose weight" because healthiness is not determined by weight. To be healthy you must eat well, take care of yourself, have personal hygiene, good habits, and mentally be in control.

That is running. Taking measures to get you there.

To get an A in a class you must go to school, take diligent notes, surround yourself with smart people, engage in office hours, learn the material in active recall throughout the semester, and more.

That is running.

To be more confident you must put in years of work to love who you are, trust yourself and how you handle situations. To know your worth is to walk with confidence.

That is running.

The work put in to accomplishing a goal is the running. The intent is the prayer.

If you pray and run, and your goal falls short - then it was just not your bus.

And this is not necessarily a bad thing.

This all goes back to one of my favorite sayings and something my Nana always said "everything happens for a reason".

It does not need to be your bus every time.

I was paralyzed by fear the past couple days. Studying felt like a feat I was unprepared for and all I did was pray - I did not run.

But, if I do not run then I can not walk away from this knowing I did all I could.

That is a greater fear than not running at all.

If you pray and you run it is okay to fail. You are not any less successful, any less loved, or any less confident.

You are human.

There is an art to pushing through - and all you can do is just that!

Whether it ends up being your bus or not, it is crucial to pray for it and run.

You may not just pray it is your bus then stroll down the street - put in the effort and run.

You can do it. Consider this your sign to start running.

I hope we all catch the bus, but know if we don't, it'll all be okay.

Running and praying to catch the bus,

Jane

PS - holding space for my fellow 1Ls - we got this!