Due Credit

I am so uncomfortable when people credit me with things I really don't deserve credit for.

A former student's mother who often checked me out at Publix: "My son would have never graduated without you."

Yes, yes, he would have.

Most recently, one of my dearest friends giving me credit for helping her son get into a local college.

Nope. Didn't help. HE did it. He just did it in his own time. The only thing I did is ask him some questions 6 months ago when she sent him in for a "come to Jesus" talk with good ole Ms. Annmarie, head mistress of the School of Hard Knocks.

But, he took the steps to make it happen. I just gave the kid an outline. He filled in all the Roman numerals.

I am a firm believer that people do things in their own time. As a non-traditional college student myself, I appreciate that not everyone follows the graduate-from-high-school-then-go-directly-to-a-4-year-university prescription. And, many of those renegades grow up to be highly successful in their chosen field--sometimes fields, if they like to mix it up every once in a while.

In fact, I am sick and tired of people thinking that there is one way to do anything. There. Is. Not.

So, stop giving credit where credit is not due. It's the equivalent of apologizing for things you cannot control. Just stop it. Now.

Give credit to the one person who ultimately took the real steps, suffered the real consequences, and forged ahead.

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. That horse gets the credit for making the final call.

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