What's The Smallest Thing You Will Do Today, For Yourself, That Someone Else Didn't?

Growing up was challenging for me. Lots of upheaval, which lead to attending a lot of different schools amidst tremendous family crisis. 

That, in turn, led to a very uneven learning experience. I graduated from high school, but looking back, I know that there were huge gaps in my learning. At the age of 52, without a college degree, but being largely self-taught, I have given myself a reasonable education.

But I know where the gaps still reside. My math skills are awful. And yes, I know that at my age, I probably could go on the rest of my life without making them better.

But I want them to be better. I am also thinking of returning to school, and that means entrance testing. I've avoided it for years, because I really don't want to face just how bad it is.

Enter the Khan Academy. If you haven't seen this site, you need to find it. It's an online tutoring system, and I am working on my math. As I do the exercises, I am finding that somewhere in my brain, these skills exist, rusty though they are.

And then I ask myself why I am bothering--both with these little math exercises, and even the larger question of school. The truth is, getting a degree now won't help my earning potential much.

But it will heal a wound. And it will keep me learning. It's tempting to think I don't need to learn anything else, that I am too old and it's too hot, and I am too tired.

But there is some little kernel down there that wants to be fed. No one else was able to do that for me when I was younger.

So maybe it's up to me now. There are lots of you out there who have already done these things--but is there still something you'd like to do?

What's the smallest thing you will do today for yourself that no one else did, maybe way back when you needed it?