An Interview on Goals with My Mother-In-Law, Cheri

With Mother’s Day approaching I decided to interview my mom, Mary Jo, and my mother-in-law, Cheri. Both of them are in the process of achieving some REALLY big goals, and I am incredibly proud and inspired by their hard work and perseverance. They are doing such an awesome job I figured some of you out there might find some inspiration, too.

So first I’d like to tell you all about my mother-in-law, Cheri, and tomorrow I’ll tell you about what my mom has been working on.

So without further ado, here is my interview with Cheri:

What is the big goal you were working on?

My goal was to attend and graduate from culinary school, and I just graduated last month. Now that I finished, I am working on starting my own baking business. I know nothing about starting a business so it has been a huge learning experience, but going back to school was really the big goal I had been working on for a long time.

How did you know this was something you wanted to do?

I have always been interested in cooking, especially baking. It was something that helped me relax. For years when my kids were growing up it’s something I would do when they would nap. I always loved cooking with the kids, too. I loved to read cookbooks, but I wanted to know more and to be better.  I did some cooking classes here and there, but I wanted to know more about how and why we do it a certain way. I wanted to learn the technical side of cooking.

When did you know this was something you wanted to do?

I had thought about it for years, but I guess I assumed that you had to be really serious and couldn’t just do it for personal growth. But one night a few years ago we were at a party and I ran into a woman I knew who was an academic advisor at Grand Rapids Community College. She used to advise students in the culinary school and I said how I would really love to go back to school but that it’s not an option, and she said “why not?”, and I said “because these other kids want to do it as a career, not just because they want to go. They don’t let people just do it because they want to”. And she said, “Oh yes they do!”. And it was that simple. That night I looked it up online and the following week I was at orientation. I just did it and tried not to think about it too much because I was afraid I would back out because I was scared.

What scared you about it?

The fear of the unknown. Going back as a 57 year old woman, I knew all the kids were going to be in their late teens/early 20s. I knew the technology had all changed since I was in school. In terms of age, I knew I would be the minority in the program, and as it turns out the teachers and students did end up not treating me very well at times because of that.

What were some of the internal and/or external obstacles you faced?

They were both internal and external. External challenges were not knowing what I didn’t know. I really had no idea what I needed to know. Academics and technology had changed so much since I was last in school so that was a huge challenge for me. Internally it was always a struggle to keep my head up. I had to keep telling myself it doesn’t matter if everyone is nice to you or not – you can’t let it sway what you are doing.

What is one word or phrase you would use to describe this experience?

Strength. When I would be scared, stressed, anxious or filled with self doubt, I had a mantra I would chant to myself: “You are a strong, smart, capable woman. You can do this!” And believe me I chanted this frequently!

What did you learn about yourself that you didn’t know before?

That I am a lot stronger than I think I am, and that I don’t need to be afraid. It’s hard to be a new situation, but it’s important to not let fear hold you back.

What experiences or skills do you already have that helped prepare you for this?

I had already graduated from college so I knew how to study, and I am a planner. I also always try and stay positive and be nice whether I am treated in that fashion or not. I think that in life you can stand up for yourself but do it in a nice way. So I had a very positive attitude which was huge.

What did you do to celebrate once your goal was complete?

I finished in April and there was a little celebration at school and some of my girlfriends came, which was nice. But I really don’t feel like I need a big celebration – this was more of a personal thing. I am really happy and proud of it. But it does seem weird now that it’s over after I had been working on it for so long, so in my new spare time I have been baking a lot and working on my business.

Tell us more about your next project, your business you are starting.

I want to share the skills I have learned with other people, not just my family. I want something that I can do when I want to do it, that offers me a lot of flexibility. That way, if something comes up I can still be available to see my family, travel, etc. I want the best of both worlds. If I really want to be busy I can be, but I am not sure that I want to be right now. I want it to be fun, and I’m fortunate to have the luxury to do that.

What advice would you give to someone who is starting a big goal?

Don’t be afraid. It gets hard to stay focused on the goal and there’s going to be bumps. But don’t let any external things keep you from doing what you want. You might get sidetracked, but stay the course. If it’s worth it to you then you should keep on, even if it takes a long time. Time is going to go by regardless of what you do, so ask yourself, are you going to be where you want to be or not?

So there you have it! A big thank you to Cheri for sharing her story with me and my (approximately) billions of blog readers. She’s got great advice, so I encourage you to try some of her suggestions on your own big goals!

And with that, a thought experiment:

Who in your life has accomplished a big goal that you could get advice from?