Some dreams happen just as we plan. Others take longer, not because we can't reach them, but because life sometimes asks us to wait.
For me, one of those dreams is earning my Doctor of Education degree.
I've held onto this dream for years. I started, stopped, thought about it again, and tried more than once to keep going. Sometimes I told myself to let it go. Maybe it just wasn't the right time. Maybe I had too much on my plate.
But deep inside, I knew something.
I wasn't giving up because I no longer wanted the dream. I was giving up because I was just tired.
A Dream Delayed Many Times
My doctoral journey has never been a straight road.
Sometimes I felt motivated and excited to keep studying. I pictured myself in class, finishing assignments, doing research, writing my dissertation, and finally walking across the stage in my academic hood.
But reality has a way of testing our plans.
Other responsibilities needed my attention. Sometimes I had to focus on other things first. Sometimes, just making it through the day was more important than reaching another school goal.
And so, I stopped.
Not once, but several times.
But every time I stopped, a small part of me wondered, What if I had kept going?
That question stayed with me.
Life Happens, But Dreams Remain
Looking back, I see now that the delays weren't really failures.
Perhaps I needed those pauses.
They taught me that dreams don't just go away when we put them on hold. Sometimes, they wait for us until we're ready to come back.
Over the years, I've grown as a teacher and as a person. My experiences inside and outside the classroom have changed me. The challenges taught me patience, strength, self-control, and the importance of not giving up, even when things get hard.
Today, I understand my dream differently.
I'm not working toward my doctorate just to add another title to my name anymore.
I want to finish because I promised myself I would.
I want to show myself that even a dream I've put off for so long can still come true.
This Time, I Am Choosing to Continue
Now, I am ready to return to my doctoral journey.
I know it will not be easy.
There will be times when I feel tired and want to stop again. This time, I want to remember how far I've already come.
I have survived difficult seasons before.
I've faced stress, duties, doubts, and times when I questioned myself. Still, I kept moving forward.
So why should this dream be different?
Maybe I don't need to be fearless.
Maybe I need to do it anyway.
One requirement at a time. One class at a time. One page at a time. One chapter at a time.
Until one day, I can finally say: I finished.
It Is Never Too Late
One of the best things I've learned is that no schedule is perfect. We often compare ourselves to others. We see people finish school sooner, reach their goals faster, or do things we've dreamed about for years.
But our journeys are different.
My dream may have been delayed, but I never forgot it.
That may be what I'm learning: not to feel ashamed of the breaks in my journey. Instead, I choose to see them as part of my story. The person who started is not the same woman who is coming back today. I am stronger now. More patient. More determined. And maybe more sure of why I want to pursue my Doctor of Education again. This time, I'm not promising myself it will be easy. I won't walk away from my dream when things get hard.
I may stumble.
I may get tired.
But I will remind myself that being delayed does not mean being defeated. My doctoral journey may have taken longer than I thought, but every delay, every pause, and every hard time has prepared me for now. When the day finally comes that I can proudly write Doctor of Education after my name, I know the degree will mean more than just school success and achievement.
It will represent every time I wanted to quit but chose to continue.
And most importantly, it will remind me that sometimes the dream we almost gave up on is the one we were meant to finish. Believe again. This time, I am determined to complete my doctoral journey.