“You take it on faith, you take it to the heart /
The waiting is the hardest part”
In his hit song, The Waiting, the late Tom Petty was referring to waiting on your dreams to come true and wondering if they ever will. Maybe like Petty, you too are passing through the moment when all the things that were once your dreams become the things you’re actually doing. But, to be a bit more precise, the hardest part of that “hardest part” is when we realize that this process we are in doesn’t always operate on our expected schedule. We do our part, and then the universe does its.
But here’s what I know from having front row seats to hundreds of college searches: You are right where you are supposed to be, and the right place will see your value.
Recently, I came across a story that reminded me of each of the students with whom we work, and how excited I am to see where they go. I’d like to share the story with you.
A father said to his daughter, “You have graduated with honors; here is a car I bought many years ago. It is a bit older now, but before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.”
The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000, because they said it looks pretty worn out.”
The father said, “Now take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said, “The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”
The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father, “Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because it’s a vintage Holden Torana, an iconic car which is highly sought after by many collectors.”
Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way.”
You will find in the responses you receive from colleges an indication of how much they value you. If a college doesn’t value you, move on. It wasn’t the right place. Never stay in a place that doesn’t see your immense value. Never.
This is a lesson most people, adults included, struggle to learn. They stay in jobs or relationships, surrounded by people who never truly understand their true value. Worse, they themselves start to lose sight of their innate and substantial worth. It takes practice and intentionality to change that mental narrative.
So choose to have faith and heart while you wait for responses from colleges, knowing that the right place will welcome you in with arms wide open and huge smiles. You are worth that.
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